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ROGER  WOLCOTT.  Illustrated  with  Portraits, 
izmo,  Ji.oo  net.  Postage  extra. 

LIFE  OF  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE.  With  extracts 
from  his  Diary  and  Correspondence.  With  Portrait 
and  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo,  f  1.50. 

VISIONS  AND  SERVICE.  Discourses  delivered  in 
Collegiate  Chapels.  i6mo,  $1.25. 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  &  COMPANY 
BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 


BY 


WILLIAM  LAWRENCE 


BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 

«££,  Cambridge 
MDCCCCII 


COPYRIGHT   1902  BY  WILLIAM   LAWRENCE 
ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED 

Published  November,  igoa 


TO 

EDITH     PRESCOTT    WOLCOTT 

WISE    STRONG    AND    GRACIOUS 

THE     CONSTANT     SUPPORT 

OF     HER      HUSBAND 

ROGER    WOLCOTT 


PREFACE 

|N  writing  this  short  Life  my 
object  has  been  to  bring  be- 
fore the  people  of  Massachu- 
setts, whom  he  loved  and  who 
loved  him,  the  personality  of  Roger  Wol- 
cott.  Mr.  Wolcott's  life  was  passed  in 
the  midst  of  his  friends,  associates,  and 
relatives.  He  therefore  had  no  need,  as 
he  had  little  taste,  to  correspond  by  letter. 
He  kept  no  diary  or  journal.  The  mate- 
rials for  this  little  book  were  gathered 
from  official  records  and  newspaper  re- 
ports, from  the  memories  of  my  own 
friendship  of  over  forty  years,  and  from 
the  reminiscences  and  kind  suggestions  of 
others  of  his  friends,  political  associates, 
and  kindred. 

W.  L. 
CAMBRIDGE,  October  16,  1902. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

I.  ANCESTRY i 

II.  Two  BROTHERS .17 

III.  A  HARVARD  STUDENT 32 

IV.  A  CITIZEN 51 

V.     LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR          ....       77 

VI.    GOVERNOR    . 118 

VII.    THE  WAR  WITH  SPAIN       .     .     .     .161 
VIII.    THE  LAST  YEAR  .  .  206 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

ROGER  WOLCOTT  IN  1896.  From  a  photo- 
graph by  Chickering  .  .  Frontispiece 

ROGER  AND  HUNTINGTON  WOLCOTT.  From 

a  photograph  taken  about  1853  .  .  .  .  18 

ROGER  WOLCOTT  IN  1867.  From  a  photo- 
graph taken  early  in  his  college  course  .  36 

ROGER  WOLCOTT  IN  1893.  From  a  photo- 
graph by  Chickering 86 

GOVERNOR  WOLCOTT,  IN  1898,  giving  to  the 
Ninth  Massachusetts  Regiment  its  com- 
missions for  the  U.  S.  Service  .  .182 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 


CHAPTER   I 

ANCESTRY 

IHEN  the  good  ship  Mary  and 
John  dropped  anchor  in  Bos- 
ton harbor  on  the  3oth  of  May, 
1630,  she  had  in  her  company 
Henry  Wolcott,  Esq.,  his  wife  and  sons, 
of  Galdon  Manor  House,  Tolland,  Somer- 
setshire. Very  few  of  his  Puritan  breth- 
ren had  left  their  homes  at  greater  sac- 
rifice than  he.  Henry  Wolcott  was  a 
country  gentleman,  accustomed  to  the 
surroundings,  dignity,  and  authority  of  his 
class.  His  home  was  endeared  to  him  by 
its  family  associations,  its  age,  and  solid 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

comfort.  Even  to  this  day  Tolland  sug- 
gests to  the  visitor  something  of  its  ancient 
glory.  As  one  enters  the  hamlet,  he  passes 
the  ivy-mantled  church;  beneath  the 
shadow  of  the  heavy  tower  rest  the  bodies 
of  the  Wolcotts.  Beyond  is  the  manor 
house,  an  ancient  pile  of  stone,  massive 
without;  within,  the  walls  are  ornamented 
with  antique  carvings.  The  ceiling  of  the 
spacious  dining-hall  is  heavily  groined; 
above  the  mantelpiece  are  shields  bearing 
the  family  coats  of  arms;  and  along  the 
walls  run  Latin  inscriptions,  of  which  one 
translated  reads,  "  This  is  the  family  of  the 
just;  may  this  spot  be  preserved  to  all 
eternity." 

Henry  Wolcott,  whose  family  had  been 
loyal  members  of  the  Church  of  England, 
had  been  drawn  into  sympathy  with  the 
Puritans.  His  convictions  finally  led  him  to 
join  with  his  brethren  in  the  upbuilding  of 


ANCESTRY 

a  colony  where  he  and  they  could  worship 
God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own 
conscience.  Being  over  fifty  years  of  age, 
he  had  but  little  taste  for  change  and  ad- 
venture, and  the  bonds  of  old  associations 
must  have  drawn  hard  upon  him.  Never- 
theless, he  and  his  family  left  their  an- 
cient home,  and  on  the  2Oth  of  March 
sailed  for  Boston.  After  a  voyage  of 
seventy  days  they  entered  the  harbor. 
As  they  looked  from  the  deck  upon  the 
roughly  timbered  shores  and  the  wooden 
houses  of  the  town,  they  must  have  re- 
called with  a  pang  of  homesickness  the 
quiet  vale  and  rich  fields  of  Tolland. 

Mr.  Wolcott  first  settled  in  Dorchester; 
later  he  removed  with  Mr.  Wareham's 
church  to  Windsor,  Conn.,  and  there 
made  his  home  and  became  a  "chief 
corner-stone."  In  the  first  general  assem- 
bly held  in  Connecticut  in  1637  he  was 
3 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

made  a  member  of  the  lower  house,  and 
in  1643  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
house  of  magistrates,  and  was  annually 
elected  thereto  until  his  death. 

Henry  Wolcott's  son,  Simon,  was  in 
1673  captain  of  the  Simsbury  Traine  Band, 
and  in  1678  one  of  the  "Townsmen"  or 
selectmen  of  Simsbury.  He  married 
Martha,  a  sister  of  Governor  Pitkin  of 
Connecticut,  and  in  1679  Roger  Wolcott 
was  born.  After  his  marriage  with  Sarah 
Drake,  whose  family  came  from  Plymouth, 
England,  counting  among  its  members  the 
famous  admiral,  Sir  Francis,  Roger  Wol- 
cott entered  upon  a  life  of  public  service. 
He  first  filled  the  offices  of  selectman, 
representative  to  the  general  assembly,  and 
justice  of  the  peace.  In  the  expedition 
against  Canada  in  1711  he  was  commis- 
sary of  the  Connecticut  stores.  Step  by 
step  he  rose  to  be  a  member  of  the  coun- 
4 


ANCESTRY 

cil,  a  judge  of  the  county  court,  a  judge 
of  the  superior  court,  then  deputy  gov- 
ernor, and  chief  justice  of  the  superior 
court.  With  the  rank  of  major-general 
he  was  second  to  Sir  William  Pepperell 
in  command  of  the  expedition  to  Cape 
Breton,  which  resulted  in  the  capture  of 
Louisburg.  In  1750  and  for  four  succes- 
sive years  he  was  governor  of  the  colony. 
In!  1754  he  retired  from  public  life  and 
devoted  his  leisure  to  literature  and  "to 
the  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  meditation, 
and  prayer." 

In  his  funeral  sermon  upon  Governor 
Roger  Wolcott  a  century  and  a  half  ago 
Parson  Perry  struck  a  prophetic  note  in 
his  analysis  of  his  character:  — 

"  At  the  head  of  the  government  Roger 

Wolcott  was  a  wise  and  an  able  governor; 

at  the  head  of  an  army  a  general  true  to 

his  king  and  country;  on  the  bench  a  just 

5 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

and  upright  judge ;  and  at  the  bar  an  able 
lawyer.  In  his  own  person  he  was  frugal, 
chaste,  and  temperate.  View  him  at  the 
head  of  his  family,  he  was  a  kind  husband 
and  a  good  father  and  a  compassionate 
master.  He  was  a  steady  professor  of  the 
Christian  name,  a  constant  and  devout  at- 
tendant upon  public  worship  and  holy  ordi- 
nances. He  was  able  to  make  a  good 
figure  in  conversation,  among  the  learned, 
upon  almost  any  subject,  and  had  a  good 
acquaintance  both  with  men  and  things. 
He  was  very  easy  of  access;  no  forbidding 
air  sat  upon  his  countenance;  free,  affable, 
and  unaffected  in  conversation,  he  had  a 
peculiar  talent  in  making  himself  agreea- 
ble to  all  sorts  of  company,  so  far  as  inno- 
cency  would  permit." 

It  fell  to  Oliver,  son  of  Roger  Wolcott, 
to   represent    the   family   in    the    critical 
events  preceding  the  Revolution  and  dur- 
6 


ANCESTRY 

ing  the  early  years  of  that  war.  Like  his 
father,  he  was  soldier,  lawyer,  and  jurist, 
and  held  high  office.  In  early  manhood 
he  commanded  a  company  of  volunteers  in 
the  northern  army  in  the  war  against  the 
French.  Upon  the  organization  of  the 
county  of  Litchfield  in  1751  he  was  ap- 
pointed the  first  sheriff.  He  was  a  repre- 
sentative to  the  general  assembly,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  council,  judge  of  the  court  of 
probate  for  the  district  of  Litchfield,  and 
chief  judge  of  the  court  of  common  pleas. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  continental  con- 
gress, with  the  exception  of  two  years, 
from  1775  to  1784  ;  and  was  one  of  the 
signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence. 

Loyalty  to   his   country   called  him   a 
second  time  into  military  service.     Upon 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution Congress  appointed  him  a  commis- 
7 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

sioner  on  Indian  affairs  for  the  northern 
department  In  his  spirit  of  patriotism 
he,  as  is  seen  by  the  following  incident, 
was  well  supported  by  his  family.  Until 
the  eve  of  the  Revolution  a  leaden  eques- 
trian statue  of  George  III.  had  stood  in 
Bowling  Green  in  the  city  of  New  York. 
As  soon  as  hostilities  began  the  Sons  of 
Liberty  overthrew  the  statue,  and  the 
body  of  the  hapless  king  was  transported 
to  the  home  of  Mr.  Wolcott,  at  Litchfield, 
where  it  was  melted  into  bullets  by  his 
children  and  their  friends. 

In  1777  Oliver  Wolcott  was  appointed  a 
brigadier-general,  and  in  1779  he  was  com- 
missioned by  General  Trumbull  major- 
general  of  the  militia  of  Connecticut.  He 
was  lieutenant-governor  of  Connecticut 
from  1786  to  1796,  and  governor  in  1797, 
the  year  of  his  death. 

These  offices  show  the  esteem  in  which 
8 


ANCESTRY 

General  Wolcott  was  held  by  the  country 
as  well  as  the  State.  Indeed,  no  other  man 
in  Connecticut  during  this  critical  period 
discharged  so  many  and  varied  public 
duties  as  he. 

Oliver  Wolcott  gave  to  the  public  ser- 
vice two  sons.  The  first,  Oliver,  served 
in  Congress  and  in  the  army.  In  1789  he 
received  from  President  Washington  the 
appointment  of  auditor  of  the  treasury. 
Two  years  later  he  was  made  comptroller, 
and  in  1795  he  succeeded  Alexander  Ham- 
ilton as  secretary  of  the  treasury,  and  thus 
became  a  member  of  Washington's  cabi- 
net. Here  he  continued  during  the  ad- 
ministration of  President  Adams,  resigning 
in  1800  and  accepting  a  seat  upon  the 
United  States  bench  as  a  judge  of  the 
circuit  court  of  the  second  district.  In 
1815  he  returned  to  his  home.  Two  years 
later  the  people  of  Connecticut  called  him 
9 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

to  the  office  of  governor,  and  elected  him 
to  that  position  for  ten  successive  years. 

Frederick  Wolcott,  also  a  son  of  Oliver, 
served  his  State  in  the  legislative  coun- 
cil and  on  the  bench.  He  repeatedly  re- 
fused to  be  nominated  for  governor  by 
the  prevailing  political  party,  but  as  a 
private  citizen  fulfilled  many  important 
public  duties.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
corporation  of  Yale  College,  and  an  active 
supporter  of  movements  in  behalf  of  edu- 
cation and  charity. 

The  marriage  of  Frederick  Wolcott  to 
Elizabeth  Huntington  united  two  families 
of  high  character  and  remarkable  public 
spirit. 

Elizabeth  Huntington's  grandfather, 
Jabez  Huntington,  who  had  served  sev- 
eral years  as  a  member  of  the  general 
assembly,  soon  after  his  graduation  from 
Yale  College  entered  the  West  India 

IO 


ANCESTRY 

trade,  and  by  an  honorable  business  career 
laid  the  foundation  of  one  of  the  largest 
fortunes  of  that  day.  Before  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Revolution,  Jabez  Huntington 
owned  a  large  amount  of  shipping,  and,  as 
the  signs  of  war  increased,  it  became  clear 
that  his  fortune  was  endangered.  The 
question  arose  as  to  what  his  action  should 
be  in  the  crisis. 

In  the  year  1774  he  and  his  wife  called 
the  members  of  their  family  together,  and 
after  earnest  prayer  for  guidance,  he  told 
them  that  he  and  their  mother  had  been 
considering  their  duty  to  their  country  in 
relation  to  the  almost  certain  loss  to  their 
fortune  and  worldly  prospects.  He  added 
that  before  making  a  final  decision  which 
would  bring  them  into  hostility  to  "their 
dear  motherland,"  he  wished  his  children 
also  to  count  the  cost.  Then  deliberately 
addressing  each  one  by  name,  he  asked  the 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

question :  "  Are  )rou  ready  to  go  with  your 
parents  and  share  our  risks  and  our  re- 
wards ? "  All  pledged  themselves  to  their 
country.  That  the  pledge  was  kept  is 
revealed  in  the  history  of  Jabez  Hunting- 
ton  and  his  five  sons. 

The  father  was  appointed  by  the  assem- 
bly one  of  the  two  major-generals  of  the 
militia  of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  and  in 
the  following  year  he  received  command 
of  the  entire  state  militia. 

Of  the  sons,  Jedediah,  as  colonel  in  com- 
mand of  a  regiment,  joined  the  army  at 
Cambridge  just  one  week  after  the  battle 
of  Lexington.  Promoted  brigadier-gen- 
eral at  Washington's  request,  he  took  part 
in  all  the  active  campaigns  of  1777  and 
1778,  and  endured  the  hardships  of  Valley 
Forge.  In  December,  1780,  his  was  the 
only  Connecticut  brigade  that  remained 
in  the  service. 

12 


ANCESTRY 

Ebenezer  also  went  to  Cambridge  at 
the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington  ;  he, 
too,  served  as  brigadier-general  in  the 
war,  and  was  later  a  member  of  Con- 
gress. 

Zachariah  was  a  major-general,  and 
Andrew  was  commissary  of  brigade  dur- 
ing the  war,  and  judge  of  probate. 

Joshua,  the  father  of  Elizabeth  Hunt- 
ington,  who  married  Frederick  Wolcott, 
marched  immediately  after  the  battle  of 
Lexington  as  lieutenant,  with  a  hundred 
Norwich  minute-men,  to  the  scene  of 
action,  and  joined  Putnam's  brigade.  He 
went  with  Putnam  to  New  York,  where 
he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel. 

From  the  marriage  of  Frederick  Wol- 
cott and  Elizabeth  Huntington  was  born 
Joshua  Huntington  Wolcott,  the  father  of 
Roger  Wolcott,  late  governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts. 

'3 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

When  J.  Huntington  Wolcott  was  a 
boy,  Boston  was  attracting  the  attention 
of  the  country  by  the  increase  of  its  busi- 
ness and  its  large  commercial  enterprises. 
Young  Wolcott  came  to  Boston  and  en- 
tered the  counting-house  of  A.  and  A. 
Lawrence  as  senior  apprentice.  At  twen- 
ty-six years  of  age  he  became  a  partner, 
and  remained  with  the  firm,  becoming 
senior  partner,  until  its  dissolution  in 
1865.  Throughout  his  business  career, 
Mr.  Wolcott  was  recognized  as  a  man  of 
high  character  and  ability.  He  inherited 
the  public  spirit  of  his  ancestry.  There 
was  exceptional  grace  and  dignity  in  his 
bearing.  His  uniform  courtesy  to  his 
employees  and  the  errand  boys  from  other 
offices,  as  well  as  to  his  business  asso- 
ciates, lingers  in  the  memories  of  men  in 
active  business  to-day. 

Mr.    Wolcott    married    Cornelia,    the 


ANCESTRY 

daughter  of  Samuel  Frothingham,  on 
November  12,  1844,  and  by  her  had  two 
sons,  Huntington  Frothingham  and  Roger. 
This  historic  sketch  has  been  so  full  of 
dates  and  names  of  public  offices  as  to 
suggest  a  dry  chronicle.  Reading  be- 
tween the  lines,  however,  we  discover 
character,  patriotism,  chivalry,  and  sacri- 
fice in  the  public  service.  The  name  of 
the  Wolcott  family  has  not  been  created 
by  one  or  two  great  men,  but  throughout 
their  whole  history  of  over  two  centuries 
and  a  half  in  this  country,  each  generation 
has  sustained  the  good  name  and  the  high 
character  of  the  past.  The  members  of 
the  family,  blessed  with  competence,  have 
not  felt  that  great  spur  to  enterprise,  the 
necessity  of  earning  a  living.  What  work 
they  have  done,  therefore,  and  what  service 
they  have  rendered,  have  been  prompted, 
partly,  to  be  sure,  by  a  pure  desire  to  sus- 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

tain  the  fair  name  of  the  family,  but  espe- 
cially by  that  deep  sense  of  obligation  to 
serve  God  and  man  which  has  been  at 
the  foundation  of  the  character  and  ser- 
vice of  the  English  people,  and  especially 
of  the  Puritan  stock  which  sought  this 
coast.  At  the  same  time,  the  family  has 
always  sustained  in  its  chivalric  spirit, 
courtesy,  and  delicacy  of  feeling,  much  of 
the  temper  which  is  associated,  not  with 
the  Puritan,  but  with  the  Cavalier  of 
English  history. 


16 


CHAPTER  II 

TWO    BROTHERS 

1HEN  Roger  Wolcott  was  born 
in  Boston,  July  13,  1847,  he 
came  into  a  home  of  singular 
charm. 

His  father  had  a  deep  love  of  nature 
and  of  out-of-door  life.  His  mother  was 
a  woman  of  beauty  and  rare  culture,  a 
wide  reader,  familiar  with  the  poets,  and 
at  the  same  time  practical  and  thoughtful 
of  the  interests  of  the  household.  Hunt- 
ington  Frothingham,  the  elder  son,  was 
born  eighteen  months  before  Roger. 

The  house  in  Boston  where  they  passed 
the  winters  was  on  Boylston  Street,  facing 
the  Common.     The  home  which  parents 
17 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

and  children  most  enjoyed  was,  however, 
upon  the  slope  of  Blue  Hill,  about  eight 
miles  from  Boston.  The  house  stands 
upon  the  edge  of  the  woods  which  cover 
the  hill;  from  the  lawn,  the  land  slopes 
down  to  the  valley,  and  to  the  plain  of 
Readville,  through  which  the  Neponset 
River  winds,  and  in  the  distance  are  spread 
in  rich  damp  green  the  Canton  meadows. 

When  he  was  three  years  old,  Roger's 
mother  died.  Her  oldest  sister,  Harriet, 
came  to  take  charge  of  the  household, 
and  later,  as  his  father's  second  wife,  be- 
came a  mother  to  the  boys. 

In  early  childhood  they  were  taught  at 
home  by  their  mother,  or  in  company  with 
a  few  of  their  friends'  children.  On  reach- 
ing boyhood  they  entered  the  private 
school  of  Mr.  Dixwell  in  Boylston  Place, 
Boston,  just  around  the  corner  from  their 
house. 

18 


ROGER   AND    HUNTINGTON    WOLCOTT 


TWO   BROTHERS 

The  two  boys  were  almost  insepara- 
ble. Together  they  played  their  childhood 
games ;  together  they  learned  to  pray,  for 
it  was  a  religious  home.  In  company  with 
their  father  they  mounted  their  ponies  and 
galloped  over  the  roads  and  through  the 
fields.  Together  they  climbed  Blue  Hill; 
they  picknicked  and  fished  at  Ponka- 
poag  Pond.  The  country  folk  knew  the 
boys  well,  and  they,  catching  the  demo- 
cratic spirit  of  their  father,  liked  all  the 
people. 

Bound  as  they  were  in  common  inter- 
ests and  affections,  there  were  sharp  con- 
trasts in  features  and  character.  Hunt- 
ington's  curly  chestnut  hair,  brown  eyes, 
open  face,  and  well-built  frame,  his  self- 
confidence  and  impulsive  nature,  marked 
him  out  as  the  natural  leader.  Roger  was 
younger,  less  confident  of  himself;  his  jet- 
black  hair  and  luminous  gray  eyes,  his 
19 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

sensitive  face  and  sparer  form,  revealed 
a  more  nervous  temperament,  one  that 
needed  time  to  develop. 

Huntington  was  the  leader  not  only  of 
his  brother  but  of  the  school.  Trouble 
with  his  eyes  had  kept  him  back,  so  that 
he  had  the  chagrin  of  being  in  his  younger 
brother's  class;  he  had,  however,  the  ad- 
vantage of  greater  age,  which  figures  high 
in  athletics  and  the  respect  of  boys.  He 
was  frank,  generous,  courteous,  and  of 
sensitive  moral  organization.  Roger  was 
the  better  scholar,  and  held  his  own  with 
other  boys  in  their  games;  but  when 
Huntington  burst  through  the  crowd  with 
the  football,  Roger  was  lost  in  admiration 
of  his  brother. 

Life  ran  happily  on  until  1862.  Then 
the  drum-beat  in  the  streets  warned  the 
boys  that  war  was  in  the  air.  That  the 
youth  of  the  land  might  be  well  prepared, 

20 


TWO   BROTHERS 

Dixwell's  school,  like  many  others,  was 
formed  into  a  military  company.  Twice 
a  week  they  drilled  under  the  supervision 
of  an  army  officer.  Huntington,  the  rec- 
ognized leader  of  the  school,  was  made 
captain.  If  to  some  of  the  other  boys 
there  were  elements  of  play  in  the  march 
and  countermarch,  it  was  serious  work  to 
the  captain.  He  took  command  and  by 
his  character  held  command.  No  other 
boy  could  keep  discipline  as  he  could. 

His  father,  ever  active  in  public  service, 
had  accepted  the  position  of  treasurer  of 
the  Massachusetts  branch  of  the  Sanitary 
Commission.  The  talk  at  home  was  there- 
fore full  of  battles  and  the  wounded,  of 
comforts  and  clothing  for  the  sick,  of  the 
departure  of  regiments,  and  the  return  of 
the  bodies  of  the  dead.  The  plain  of 
Readville  was  converted  into  a  great  camp, 
where  regiments  were  drilling,  preparing, 

21 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

and  waiting  for  service  at  the  front.  The 
boys  were  sentwith  delicacies  from  the  gar- 
den for  the  men  and  officers,  some  of  whom 
were  relatives  and  family  friends.  Such 
experiences  could  not  but  strike  fire  in  the 
hearts  of  Huntington  and  Roger,  for  theirs 
was  the  martial  spirit  of  their  ancestry. 

In  June,  1862,  the  transport  Daniel 
Webster,  which  under  the  Sanitary  Com- 
mission had  brought  from  the  South  some 
sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  was  about  to 
return.  Although  he  was  only  sixteen 
years  old,  Huntington  succeeded  in  per- 
suading his  father  to  let  him  go  with  the 
ship  and  pass  a  few  weeks  as  a  surgeon's 
assistant.  They  entered  by  way  of  Chesa- 
peake Bay  the  Pamunkey  River,  and  landed 
at  "  White  House,"  about  twenty-three 
miles  from  Richmond.  The  enthusiasm 
for  McClellan  was  then  high,  and  the  fa- 
miliar cry  was  "  On  to  Richmond !  "  The 

22 


TWO   BROTHERS 

people  of  the  North  had  not  begun  to 
realize  the  magnitude  of  the  task  before 
them.  Living  in  the  midst  of  the  soldiers, 
riding,  as  he  visited  the  Massachusetts 
troops,  to  within  a  few  miles  of  Richmond, 
Huntington  got  a  taste  of  war,  its  horrors, 
its  glories,  and  its  great  and  noble  motive. 
He  heard  the  guns  of  battle,  saw  the 
wounded  brought  to  the  rear,  and  helped 
to  give  them  relief.  Bidding  farewell  to 
his  former  tutor,  James  Jackson  Lowell, 
who  was  soon  to  fall,  he  returned  in  the 
transport,  which  was  filled  with  wounded 
soldiers. 

As  he  took  up  his  studies  in  the  autumn 
and  commanded  the  company  of  Dixwell's 
boys,  there  were  manifest  a  seriousness  of 
purpose  and  an  inner  strength  which  were 
maturing  his  character.  Soon  the  deep 
conviction  that  it  was  his  duty  to  enlist 
was  made  known  to  his  parents.  He  was 
23 


but  seventeen  years  old:  they  could  not 
think  of  letting  him  go.  He  pledged  his 
brother  Roger,  however,  not  to  oppose 
his  desire.  The  fire  burned  within  him;  a 
year  passed,  and  again  he  urged  his  sense  of 
duty.  The  pressure  became  so  strong  that 
at  last  his  parents  agreed  that,  if  he  would 
wait  one  year  more,  and  if  the  war  was  not 
then  at  an  end,  they  would  give  their  con- 
sent. Huntington  was  impulsive,  but, 
more  than  that,  he  was  a  youth  of  will  and 
deep  conviction.  While  he  acceded  to 
his  parents'  wish  and  gave  himself  to  his 
studies  and  music,  he  could  not  keep  si- 
lence. "  Dear  mother,"  he  wrote,  when 
she  was  away  from  home,  "  I  shall  feel 
dishonored  all  my  life;  you  must  let  me 
go."  As  the  year  came  toward  its  close, 
and  the  birthday  approached  which  would 
make  him  nineteen  and  at  the  same  time 
bring  the  decision,  Huntington,  obedient 
24 


TWO   BROTHERS 

as  he  was,  became  more  serious  and  im- 
patient. A  month  before  his  birthday, 
when  his  parents  were  in  New  York, 
he  received  the  offer  of  a  commission  in 
a  black  regiment.  His  mother,  not  yet 
aware  of  the  offer,  wrote  him,  pressing 
the  argument  that  the  war  was  near  its 
end,  that  he  was  young,  and  that  he  could 
serve  his  country  later.  "  After  the  war 
is  over,  we  shall  need  wise  men,  pure  pa- 
triots in  the  councils  of  the  country,  and 
high-minded  statesmen,  men  of  large  cul- 
ture, refinement  of  taste,  Christian  integ- 
rity and  virtue,  more  than  the  soldier."  As 
she  was  writing  thus,  her  boy  was  mailing 
her  a  letter  urging  permission  to  accept 
the  commission,  and  ending,  "  Dear  mo- 
ther, you  must  let  me  go,  I  feel  so  about 
it.  I  think  it  would  be  sweet  to  die  for 
my  country." 

With  parents  patriotic  and  wise,  and  a 
25 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

boy  of  such  spirit,  there  could  be  but  one 
result. 

He  received  from  Governor  Andrew  a 
commission  as  second  lieutenant  in  the 
Second  Regiment  of  Cavalry,  Massachu- 
setts Volunteers.  For  the  last  time  Hunt- 
ington  came  to  school  and  commanded 
the  company  of  boys.  They  were  still 
boys,  and  he,  though  young  in  years, 
had  suddenly  sprung  into  manhood.  The 
uniform  enhanced  his  beauty  and  strong 
though  graceful  form.  The  school  gave 
him  his  sword  ;  the  belt  was  buckled 
over  the  red  sash;  and  Lieutenant  Wol- 
cott,  modest,  simple,  and  true,  went  forth 
in  the  spirit  of  his  fathers,  as  did  thousands 
of  youth  in  those  years  of  the  nation's 
stress.  His  last  words  to  Roger  were  : 
"  Keep  jolly,  and  be  all  you  can  to  father 
and  mother." 

He  was  first  sent  to  the  camp  at  Read' 
26 


TWO   BROTHERS 

ville.  In  a  few  days  the  order  came  for 
him  to  join  without  delay  his  regiment, 
which  was  with  Sheridan  in  the  Shenan- 
doah  Valley.  He  went  to  Winchester  : 
Sheridan  had  left.  Soon  learning  the 
position  of  his  regiment,  he  reached  the 
camp  of  General  Gibbs,  and  was  assigned 
to  Company  I  of  the  Second  Massachu- 
setts Cavalry.  Within  a  week  he,  with 
his  regiment,  was  in  the  midst  of  the  con- 
flict with  Early's  forces  in  the  Shenan- 
doah,  and  took  part  in  the  brilliant  battles 
which  resulted  in  the  surrender  of  General 
Lee  and  closed  the  war.  At  the  request  of 
General  Gibbs,  he  was  appointed  by  the 
President  an  aide-de-camp  upon  his  staff. 
Two  letters  from  his  general  reveal  the 
temper  of  the  youth.  After  the  battle  of 
Five  Forks,  General  Gibbs  wrote  to  his  own 
mother,  Mrs.  Gibbs,  a  letter  which  he  had 
no  reason  to  think  that  others  would  ever 
27 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

see.  "  We  have  just  passed  through  one 
of  the  most  terrible  and  decisive  battles  of 
the  war.  We  have  turned  Lee's  right 
and  captured  seven  thousand  prisoners 
and  nine  pieces  of  artillery.  .  .  .  Out  of 
five  hundred  men,  I  have  lost  fifteen  offi- 
cers and  seventy-five  men.  .  .  .  Hunting- 
ton  Wolcott,  who  was  acting  on  my  staff, 
behaved  nobly,  like  a  Wolcott;  went  into 
the  thick  of  the  fight,  and  brought  down  a 
lot  of  prisoners.  He  is  just  as  earnest  and 
ardent  as  ever,  in  action  as  well  as  ex- 
pression." 

On  May  9th,  1865,  he  wrote  from  the 
headquarters  of  the  First  Cavalry  Division 
to  Huntington's  father:  "I  consider  his 
pluck  as  most  extraordinary  —  and  he  has 
been  so  fortunate  as  to  have  joined  in  the 
most  eventful  campaign  of  the  war  —  the 
one  that  sealed  the  fate  of  the  hated  Con- 
federacy. He  has  passed  through  it  un- 
28 


TWO   BROTHERS 

scathed.  From  frequent  and  close  obser- 
vation of  his  conduct,  I  have  noticed 
particularly  his  gallantry  at  Dinwiddie 
Court  House,  Five  Forks,  Clover  Hill, 
April  9th,  and  on  various  other  occasions, 
and  have  often  refused  him  permission 
to  i  go  in '  when  his  ambition  prompted 
him,  but  duty  did  not  require  him  to 
do  so. 

"  A  favorite  with  my  staff,  and  congen- 
ial to  all  with  whom  he  is  brought  in 
contact,  he  is  full  of  '  snap '  when  he 
thinks  things  are  not  going  right. 

"He  has  had  a  terribly  tough  baptism 
in  military  service,  but  has  come  out  of  it 
with  increased  vigor  and  vitality  of  both 
body  and  mind." 

Soon  followed  the  grand  review  of  the 

army  at  Washington.     For  two  days  the 

line  of  veterans,  with  toughened  bodies, 

tanned  skins,  faded  uniforms,  and  tattered 

29 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

flags,  marched  in  review.  Huntington's 
father  was  there ;  but  he  was  not  the  only 
one  to  mark  the  beauty  of  the  boy.  Per- 
haps his  short  service  made  his  uniform 
brighter  than  the  others;  his  face  was 
fresher  and  more  youthful;  at  all  events, 
he  caught  attention.  Others  noted  and 
wrote  of  "the  radiant  beauty  of  young 
Wolcott." 

Thus  passed  the  war  and  its  glory. 
There  was  little  else  to  be  done  except 
to  be  mustered  out  and  come  home.  Even 
when  Huntington  was  in  the  great  pro- 
cession, typhoid  fever  had  begun  its  work. 
Within  a  few  days  he  was  very  ill.  The 
one  hope  of  life  seemed  to  be  in  his  escape 
from  the  malarial  air  of  the  Potomac  to 
the  northern  climate.  He  was  borne 
quickly  home.  As  he  was  laid  upon  his 
bed  beneath  the  shadow  of  Blue  Hill,  and 
breathed  the  odor  of  the  pines,  and  heard 
30 


TWO   BROTHERS 

familiar  voices,  he  revived;  but  the  dis- 
ease did  not  release  its  hold.  "  My  dar- 
ling Roger;  Roger,  my  love  to  the  boys," 
were  his  whispered  words. 

On  the  9th  of  June,  1865,  another  Wol- 
cott,  patriot  and  soldier,  a  chivalrous  boy, 
passed  on. 

Again  the  schoolboys  met,  and  in  his 
home  in  Boston  gathered  around  the  bier 
of  Huntington,  their  friend  and  leader. 

His  mother  had  well  said,  "  After  the 
war  is  over,  we  shall  need  wise  men,  pure 
patriots  in  the  councils  of  the  country,  and 
high-minded  statesmen."  Huntington,  to 
whom  she  wrote,  had  passed  on.  Roger 
was  left. 


CHAPTER    III 

A   HARVARD    STUDENT 

[T  was  natural  that  the  sick- 
ness and  death  of  Huntington 
should  have  borne  heavily  on 
the  strength  of  his  father  and 
mother.  The  effect  upon  Roger  was  as 
that  upon  a  tender  sapling  when  its  sup- 
port has  been  withdrawn.  He  drooped, 
and  showed  such  physical  and  nervous 
depression  as  to  cause  anxiety  and  com- 
pel his  parents  to  take  him  to  Europe. 
There  they  remained  for  more  than  a 
year.  In  England  they  ran  down  to  the 
manor  house  at  Tolland,  and  visited 
the  graves  of  the  ancient  Wolcotts,  or 
Walcotts;  for  in  England  the  latter  form 
32 


A   HARVARD   STUDENT 

was  and  is  the  more  common.  Appreci- 
ative as  they  were  of  their  English  an- 
cestry, they  were  steadfast  Americans. 
While  in  London,  Roger's  mother  gave 
him  a  seal  ring  with  the  family  coat  of 
arms.  The  seal-maker  mentioned  that 
the  arms  were  identical  with  those  of  the 
English  Walcotts.  A  few  days  later,  a 
member  of  the  Walcott  family,  a  man  of 
distinction,  called  upon  Mr.  Wolcott  to 
compare  notes  upon  the  subject.  Being 
convinced  that  the  American  branch  was 
from  his  own  family,  he  invited  Roger, 
then  a  boy  of  seventeen,  to  lunch  with 
him,  in  order  to  give  him  copies  of  the 
family  records.  In  the  course  of  conver- 
sation this  gentleman  said,  "  Mr.  Wolcott, 
if  you  intend  to  hitch  on  to  the  English 
branch  of  the  family  you  must  change  the 
spelling  of  your  name."  "  Sir,"  said  Roger, 
"  we  do  not  intend  to  hitch  on  to  any  fam- 
33 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

ily."  "  Then,"  was  the  answer,  "  the  pur- 
pose of  this  interview  is  misunderstood;  " 
and  the  English  representative  of  the  fam- 
ily tore  the  records  in  pieces.  He  had 
met  America  in  one  boy.  Roger  was 
sent  back  the  next  day  by  his  mother  to 
apologize,  and  the  incident  was  closed. 

Walking  in  Switzerland  confirmed  Ro- 
ger's gaining  strength,  and  study  in  Paris 
prepared  him  for  college.  As  his  class 
from  Dixwell's  school  had  entered  Har- 
vard during  his  absence,  he  joined  them 
in  the  sophomore  year.  It  is  difficult  for 
a  young  man  entering  college  the  second 
year  to  make  a  position  for  himself  in  the 
class.  However,  his  group  of  old  school- 
mates received  Roger  into  their  club 
table.  He  was  fond  of  out-of-door  life, 
a  strong  walker,  and  a  good  horseman. 
While  enthusiastically  interested  in  all 
athletic  events,  he  took  little  active  part 
34 


A   HARVARD   STUDENT 

in  the  college  sports.  Of  excellent  ability, 
he  worked  harder  as  a  student  than  his 
intimate  friends.  He  read  more  widely 
than  was  the  custom  of  students  in  those 
days.  His  interests  were  in  the  lan- 
guages, history,  and  literature.  He  did 
some  work  on  the  only  college  paper  of 
the  time,  "  The  Harvard  Advocate,"  and 
was  one  of  the  active  organizers  of  the 
O.  K.,  a  society  which  drew  into  its  circle 
men  of  literary  as  well  as  social  tastes. 
He  was  elected  into  the  social  clubs,  and 
took  an  active  interest  in  the  Hasty  Pud- 
ding. 

He  thus  gradually  and  unconsciously 
increased  the  circle  of  his  acquaintance 
and  friends. 

A  feeling  of  loneliness  and  his  sensitive 

nature  sometimes  threw  him  into  moods 

of  deep  depression.     He  then  assumed  in 

social   life   an   almost  forced   manner   of 

35 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

lightness  and  gayety.  His  brother's  mem- 
ory was  a  constant  source  of  inspiration. 
In  his  senior  year  he  wrote :  "  I  feel  it 
more  every  day  that  every  high  aspiration, 
every  yearning  after  nobleness,  which  I 
sometimes  feel,  is  to  be  traced  directly  to 
Hunty's  influence  and  example;  and  that, 
if  there  is  ever  developed  in  me  any  spark 
of  true  worth,  it  will  be  his  memory  that 
kindles  it." 

Of  this  inner  life,  however,  his  class- 
mates knew  nothing.  To  them  he  was 
always  frank  and  true,  bright  and  alert, 
with  a  sense  of  humor,  unfailing  in  his 
courtesy,  and  always  ready  to  give  full 
credit  for  the  acts  and  motives  of  others. 
At  the  same  time  they  realized  that  there 
was  a  reserve  in  his  nature,  which  lent 
dignity  and  weight  to  his  bearing. 

He  therefore  rose  quietly  and  steadily  to 
recognition  in  the  class.  Standing  ninth 
36 


JET.     2O 


A   HARVARD   STUDENT 

in  rank,  a  member  in  the  senior  year  of 
the  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  and  a  good  speaker, 
it  was  natural  that  when  the  class  came  to 
the  elections  he  should  be  the  only  man 
seriously  considered  for  orator. 

In  1870  the  Class-Day  exercises  were 
held  in  the  First  Parish  Church.  In  the 
front  pews  sat  the  members  of  the  class; 
behind  them  and  in  the  galleries  were 
the  typical  Class  -  Day  auditors,  —  fresh 
young  girls  in  brilliant  dress,  solemn  dons, 
proud  parents,  and  distinguished  guests. 
The  noble  head  of  General  Sherman,  a 
hero  of  the  day,  was  conspicuous  in  the 
throng. 

Roger  Wolcott  arose  to  make  his  first 
public  speech.  If  a  young  man  is  real  and 
simple,  he  speaks  out  of  his  inmost  con- 
victions at  such  a  time.  Such  a  man  was 
the  orator  of  the  day.  His  hair  was  black 
as  jet,  his  face  pale,  then  flushed;  his 
37 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

straight,  tall  figure  stood  firm,  his  voice 
was  clear  and  strong.  As  he  spoke,  the 
great  heat  of  the  day  was  forgotten,  and 
the  people  listened  intently.  It  was  not  the 
speech  of  maturity,  but  of  youth.  It  was, 
however,  direct,  sincere,  and  strong,  and, 
being  a  part  of  his  inner  life,  it  rang  true. 
Several  times  in  later  years  General  Sher- 
man asked  his  Boston  friends, "  When  are 
we  to  hear  from  that  young  man,  Wolcott, 
who  spoke  on  Class-Day  ?  " 

No  doubt  the  sentiment  of  the  day  threw 
a  glamour  over  the  scene.  Still,  even  after 
the  lapse  of  thirty  years,  the  speech  has 
warmth  and  life,  for  it  reveals  some  of  the 
ideals  of  Roger  Wolcott  in  his  youth. 
Harvard  Memorial  Hall  was  rising  from 
its  foundations;  and  the  nation  had  just 
observed  one  of  its  first  memorial  days. 

The  orator  named  "  enthusiasm  of  heart 
and  earnestness  of  mind  "  as  the  two  requi- 
38 


A   HARVARD   STUDENT 

sites  of  character  in  the  manhood  of  the 
times,  and  said:  — 

"  The  head  and  the  heart  are  peers,  and 
neither  can  be  exalted  without  debasing  the 
other.  .  .  .  Enthusiasm  is  of  the  heart,  not 
of  the  head.  It  is  a  means,  not  an  end.  It 
is  a  tool  given  us  with  which  to  work,  a  tool 
which  we  shall  do  well  to  guard  from  rust, 
—  a  talent  which  we  must  not  wrap  up  in 
a  napkin.  Enthusiasm  is  a  quality  through 
which  a  man  does  with  his  might  what- 
ever his  hand  and  his  head  find  to  do.  It 
is  because  it  is  so  often  applied  to  ignoble 
uses,  because  what  the  heart  finds  to  do 
might  so  often  better  be  left  undone,  that 
we  grow  to  regard  it  with  suspicion  and 
distrust.  .  .  . 

"  It  is  to  secure  this  vital  principle,  this 

intentness  of  resolve  and  action,  that  we 

so  often  hear  of  the  necessity  of  infusing 

young  blood  into  the  councils  of  the  old. 

39 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

The  increasing  burden  of  years  seems  to 
drag  heavily  upon  the  heart,  and  to 
threaten  constantly  to  stifle  its  beatings. 
Men  are  too  often  petrified  by  the  slow- 
dropping  mists  of  experience  laden  with 
disappointment  and  failure,  and  ever  the 
heart  hardens  first.  Listlessness  and  indif- 
ference take  the  place  of  earnestness  and 
vigor.  That  baleful  apathy  which  Ruskin 
calls  the  greatest  mystery  of  life,  settles 
down  upon  the  soul,  deadening  and  de- 
stroying. The  man  forgets  his  youth's 
ideal,  lowers  his  aspirations  to  the  attain- 
ment of  mediocrity,  and  sinks,  often  with 
scarce  a  struggle,  to  the  dead  level  which 
is  so  marked  a  characteristic  of  the  time. 
He  who  escapes  this  danger  is  the  man  in 
whose  breast  the  sacred  flame  still  glows, 
who  pursues  the  nobler  aims  of  his  riper 
years  with  the  same  exuberance  of  vitality, 
with  the  same  abandonment  of  self,  with 
40 


A   HARVARD   STUDENT 

which,  as  a  child,  he  gave  chase  to  the 
butterfly  fancies  of  the  hour.  .  .  . 

"  All  honor  to  the  intellect  in  its  proper 
sphere.  To  depreciate  its  dignity  would 
be  presumption  indeed.  It  is  through  his 
intellect  that  man  is  but  little  lower  than 
the  angels;  but  it  is  by  his  heart  that  he 
partakes  of  the  nature  of  God.  .  .  . 

"  When  once  our  faith  in  other  men's 
virtue  is  lost,  it  is  no  wonder  if  we  make 
no  advance  in  virtue  ourselves.  .  .  .  There 
must  be  that  within  us  which  claims  kin- 
dred with  the  nobility  of  others,  or  the 
magnet  of  their  influence  will  be  to  us  no 
more  than  a  piece  of  bent  iron.  Distrust 
of  the  motives  of  others  is  often  tanta- 
mount to  a  confession  of  the  insincerity  of 
one's*  own.  Cynicism,  like  the  mistletoe, 
saps  the  very  life  of  that  on  which  it 
fastens.  .  .  . 

"  But  it  is  when  our  self-interest  allures 
41 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

us  from  our  original  path,  when  we  let 
slip  from  our  memory  Harvard's  grand 
old  motto,  i  Veritas,'  and  wander  farther 
from  the  influence  of  that  force  which  can 
alone  through  life  draw  us  onward  and 
upward,  it  is  then  that  the  heart  only  can 
set  us  right.  .  .  . 

"Young  as  we  are,  we  have  lived  in 
grand  and  stirring  times.  Scarce  one  of 
us  but  has  felt  the  blood  tingle  with  a  sen- 
sation never  before  experienced  when,  at 
the  drum-beat,  as  if  by  enchantment,  the 
hero  stood  forth  in  the  person  of  father, 
brother,  friend.  Who  does  not  remember 
the  hurried  parting,  the  anxious  days  of 
doubt,  the  joyous  return  ?  Or  perchance 
to  some  of  us  a  treasured  sword  or  musket 
and  a  proud  though  heart-rending  memory 
may  alone  remain  as  talismans  of  blessed 
influence  for  our  future  lives. 

"  Strange  indeed  would  it  be  if  we 
42 


A   HARVARD   STUDENT 

allowed  ourselves  to  forget  the  force  of 
their  glorious  example.  And  yet  can  we 
deny  that  there  is  a  widespread  danger 
throughout  the  country  that  this  will  be 
the  case  ?  Money  has  again  become  a 
rival  with  honor  for  the  foremost  place  in 
the  nation's  regard.  Oblivion  of  the  past 
is  deemed  the  only  security  of  the  pre- 
sent. .  .  . 

"  Why  has  the  nation  set  apart  a  day  in 
the  sunny  springtime  to  deck  with  flowers 
and  garlands  the  graves  of  our  fallen  sol- 
diers throughout  the  land  ?  Is  it  with  the 
thought  of  honoring  the  dead  that  this  is 
done  ?  I  think  not.  Earthly  flowers,  how- 
ever fair,  laid  upon  cold  marble  or  sense- 
less sod,  can  hardly  be  thought  to  bestow 
much  of  honor  on  those  upon  whose  brows 
the  hand  of  God  has  placed  the  immortal 
wreath.  It  is,  as  I  think,  that  in  the  still- 
ness of  the  cemetery  we  may  hear  with 
43 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

more  distinctness  than  in  the  busy  turmoil 
of  our  daily  lives  that  '  voice  that  cometh 
from  behind '  —  from  the  grave  of  the 
buried  past,  from  the  spirits  of  the  noble 
dead,  saying,  <  This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in 
it; '  the  way  of  devotion  to  country  and  to 
principle,  the  way  of  hardship  and  self- 
sacrifice,  the  way  of  life  through  death. 

"  It  is  for  a  kindred  purpose  that  in  yon- 
der old  playground  the  foundations  have 
been  laid  of  a  stately  structure  to  stand  a 
lasting  memorial  to  the  sons  of  this  uni- 
versity who  gave  their  lives  to  insure  their 
country's  salvation.  Is  it  for  their  sake 
that  the  trowel  and  hammer  are  so  busily 
plied  where  once  the  click  of  the  bat  and 
the  shout  of  the  players  startled  the  echoes 
from  the  neighboring  chapel  ?  Let  us  not 
deceive  ourselves.  It  is  for  us,  for  the 
hundreds  who  yearly  pass  from  these 
gates,  to  carry  the  ideas  which  they  have 
44 


A   HARVARD   STUDENT 

here  acquired  to  their  distant  homes.  The 
influence  of  association  is  strong,  and  well 
may  the  heart  beat  with  a  quicker  pulse 
and  the  soul  be  thrilled  with  nobler  senti- 
ments within  walls  hallowed  by  such 
sacred  memories. 

"  If  at  any  time  indifference  and  an  al- 
most pardonable  disgust  tempt  us  to  leave 
undone  the  little  which  individual  effort 
may  do  to  rescue  our  national  politics  from 
corruption,  must  not  the  thought  flash  into 
our  minds  of  the  heroism  here  commemo- 
rated ?  We  perhaps  may  find  it  irksome 
even  to  cast  a  vote  for  what  we  believe  to 
be  our  country's  good. 

"  '  But  these,  our  brothers,  fought  for  her, 
At  life's  dear  peril  wrought  for  her, 
So  loved  her  that  they  died  for  her.' 

"  Nothing  can  insure  the  success  of  the 
great  experiment   which    is    here   trying, 
nothing  can   enable    us    to    preserve  our 
45 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

national  existence,  save  the  intelligence,  in- 
tegrity, and  loyalty  of  the  educated  classes. 
The  dangers  which  threaten  us  are  great 
and  constant.  If  Intelligence  stands  aloof 
we  are  lost.  No  educated  man  is  justified 
in  shrinking  from  the  responsibility  which 
is  thrust  upon  him,  nor  is  it  possible  for 
any  American  citizen  to  wash  his  hands  of 
his  country.  There  is  no  such  thing  as 
neutrality  in  citizenship.  He  who  is  not 
with  his  country  is  against  her.  The  ab- 
sence of  a  vote  from  the  side  of  Intelligence 
adds  a  new  sinew  to  the  arm  of  Ignorance, 
which  is  ever  raised  menacingly  against 
the  nation's  honor  and  security. 

"  Our  duty  then  to  our  country  is  positive 
and  grave.  If  we  discharge  it  with  the 
full-hearted  loyalty  displayed  by  those  who 
have  gone  before  us,  we  may  rest  assured 
that  no  laurel  which  we  can  bind  about 
the  brows  of  our  alma  mater  will  she 
46 


A   HARVARD   STUDENT 

wear  with  more  pride  than  that  won  in 
maintaining  the  dignity  and  honor  of  the 
republic.  On  the  other  hand,  if  we  neg- 
lect this  duty,  in  so  doing  we  disregard  the 
example  of  the  past,  the  demand  of  the 
present,  and  the  entreaty  of  the  future.  .  .  . 
"  So  live  that  when  in  after  years  your 
hand  once  more  grasps  the  hand  of  friend, 
he  may  see  the  soul  of  the  boy  looking 
forth  from  the  eyes  of  the  man;  that  he 
may  feel  that  you  are  still  the  same  —  not 
changed,  but  grown." 

On  Commencement  Day  he  had  a  part 
and  gave  an  oration  entitled  "  The  Early 
Franciscans."  Then  with  his  classmates  he 
received  his  degree  from  the  hands  of  the 
young  president,  Charles  W.  Eliot,  who  for 
the  first  time  presided  at  the  Commence- 
ment exercises. 

At  this  time  Harvard  was  still  a  college. 
47 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

The  great  leadership  of  the  new  president 
had  hardly  been  felt.  The  choice  of  studies 
was  small,  and  the  many  lines  of  interest 
which  now  stimulate  the  students  and  turn 
their  thoughts  toward  congenial  pursuits 
did  not  exist.  Except  for  the  informal 
talk  of  a  few  teachers  there  was  no  ap- 
peal to  the  young  men  to  enter  public  life 
and  very  little  to  kindle  their  interest  in  the 
great  national  questions  of  the  day.  Per- 
haps the  strongest  stimulus  in  this  direc- 
tion given  to  the  students  in  those  days 
was  an  address,  not  of  an  American  citizen, 
but  of  Tom  Hughes,  who,  when  a  guest  of 
James  Russell  Lowell,  spoke  to  a  mass 
meeting  in  old  Massachusetts  Hall.  He 
expressed  his  surprise  at  finding  how  little 
interest  the  men  of  education  took  in  the 
public  life  of  the  great  republic.  He  told 
the  students  of  the  leadership  of  university 
men  in  the  national  life  of  England,  and 
48 


A   HARVARD   STUDENT 

called  upon  them  to  consecrate  themselves 
to  public  service. 

Upon  his  graduation  Mr.  Wolcott  en- 
tered the  law  school,  but  was  attracted  by 
an  invitation  from  the  college,  which  he 
accepted,  to  teach  for  a  year  in  French 
and  History.  The  next  year  he  passed  in 
the  law  office  of  Lothrop,  Bishop,  and 
Lincoln.  From  1872  to  1874  he  was  a 
student  in  the  Harvard  law  school,  taking 
his  degree  of  bachelor  of  laws.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  Suffolk  Bar  in  1874. 

On  September  2,  1874,  he  was  married 
in  Boston  to  Edith  Prescott. 

In  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
before  the  capture  of  Louisburg,  General 
Roger  Wolcott  of  Connecticut  was  second 
in  command  to  Sir  William  Pepperell. 
There  also  served  in  Nova  Scotia  under 
Sir  William  Pepperell  a  young  lieutenant 
from  Groton,  Mass.,  William  Prescott.  At 
49 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  he, 
like  the  Huntington  brothers  from  Con- 
necticut, reported  at  Cambridge  as  colo- 
nel of  a  regiment  of  minute-men.  His 
record  at  Bunker  Hill  and  elsewhere  in 
the  Revolutionary  War  is  familiar.  His 
son,  Judge  Prescott,  was  the  father  of  the 
historian,  William  Hickling  Prescott, 
whose  son,  William  Gardiner  Prescott,  of 
Pepperell  and  Boston,  was  the  father  of 
Mr.  Wolcott's  bride.  Sympathetic  in  all 
their  associations  as  well  as  in  character, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wolcott  began  their  happy 
life  together  by  traveling  for  a  year  in 
Europe. 


CHAPTER  IV 

A    CITIZEN 

IHEN  Roger  Wolcott  returned 
from  Europe  in  1875  at  the 
age  of  twenty-eight,  he  was 
at  the  opening  of  active  life. 
Handsome,  a  favorite  in  social  life,  of 
excellent  ability  and  education,  he  was  the 
only  son  of  a  successful  business  man. 
Under  no  necessity  to  work,  with  a  love 
of  letters  and  of  outdoor  life,  he  might, 
had  he  been  of  a  different  temper,  have 
settled  down  as  a  dilettante  in  literature 
or  have  given  himself  up  to  sport  and  plea- 
sure. Such  an  alternative  never  occurred 
to  him.  There  was  that  quality  in  him, 
which  fortunately  is  in  the  great  body  of 
51 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

American  youth,  that  shrank  from  the 
thought  of  an  aimless  existence,  and  that 
esteemed  a  life  of  work  and  usefulness  the 
only  one  worthy  of  a  citizen  of  a  republic 
or  of  manhood.  The  spirit  of  industry 
was  in  his  blood,  and  the  sense  of  duty  and 
obligation  to  serve  mankind  had  come 
down  to  him  through  generations  of  wor- 
thies. Whatever  bit  of  work  he  under- 
took he  threw  himself  into  with  ardor  and 
enthusiasm. 

The  firm  of  A.  and  A.  Lawrence,  after 
half  a  century  of  honorable  success,  had 
dissolved,  and  Mr.  J.  Huntington  Wolcott, 
except  for  the  care  of  his  own  property 
and  his  duty  as  a  director  of  various  cor- 
porations, had  retired  from  business.  A 
commercial  career  had,  however,  little  in- 
terest for  his  son. 

Roger  Wolcott  opened  an  office  in 
Pemberton  Square,  from  which  he  moved 
52 


A   CITIZEN 

later  to  the  Suffolk  Bank  Building  on  Tre- 
mont  Street,  and  entered  upon  the  prac- 
tice of  law.  The  outlook  was  promising; 
he  had  many  friends,  and  a  persuasive  way 
of  stating  a  case.  His  mind  was  well 
stored,  clear,  and  accurate. 

Society,  however,  is  sensitive  to  condi- 
tions of  character  within  it,  and  when  the 
people  feel  that  there  is  a  young  man  of 
public  spirit  who  is  willing  and  able  to 
take  responsibilities,  they  gather  around 
him  and  call  him  out  to  service. 

Mr.  Wolcott  soon  found  that  the  papers 
upon  his  desk  were  not  all  strictly  legal, 
and  that  not  all  the  business  hours  of  the 
day  were  given  to  the  law. 

As  his  father  retired  from  this  or  that 
position,  directors  and  stockholders  dis- 
covered that  the  son  was  able  to  fill  his 
father's  place,  and  the  young  man  often 
found  himself  in  the  midst  of  business 
S3 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

men  of  a  former  generation.  He  became 
a  director  of  the  Stark  Mills,  of  the  Boston 
and  Providence  Railroad,  and  of  the  New 
England  Trust  Company,  a  trustee  of  the 
Suffolk  Savings  Bank,  and  a  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Massachusetts  Hospital  Life 
Insurance  Company.  He  declined  an 
offer  to  be  treasurer  of  a  large  manufac- 
turing company. 

The  public,  social,  and  charitable  organ- 
izations laid  hold  of  him.  He  came  into 
personal  touch  with  the  poor  as  a  visitor 
of  the  Boston  Provident  Association  and 
a  member  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the 
Boston  Dispensary.  As  trustee  of  the  Eye 
and  Ear  Infirmary  and  of  the  Massachu- 
setts General  Hospital  he  took  an  active 
interest  in  the  administration  of  these  in- 
stitutions. As  he  passed  from  bed  to  bed 
in  the  surgical  and  medical  wards,  and 
then  visited  the  insane  asylum  at  Somer- 
54 


A   CITIZEN 

ville,  his  gentle  courtesy,  his  frame  glow- 
ing with  health,  and  his  bright  word  and 
smile  were  from  week  to  week  a  happy 
memory  to  the  patients. 

When  there  was  danger  that  the  ancient 
landmark,  the  Old  South  Church,  would 
be  torn  down,  he  was  active  in  saving  it; 
he  presided  at  the  meetings  of  the  preser- 
vation committee,  and  was  later  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Old  South  Corporation.  He 
delivered  a  lecture  in  one  of  the  Old  South 
courses  upon  the  historian  Prescott.  He 
found  congenial  employment  as  a  trustee 
of  the  Boston  Public  Library,  and  gave 
much  time  to  the  work  of  the  Social  Sci- 
ence Association. 

His  interest  in  New  England  history 
caused  the  Massachusetts  Genealogical 
Society  to  turn  to  him  for  literary  services. 
He  took  much  interest  in  the  Massachu- 
setts Historical  Society,  was  active  as  a 
55 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

member  of  committees,  and  wrote  a  me- 
moir of  James  Murray  Robbins  and  other 
papers. 

He  became  a  vestryman  of  King's 
Chapel,  where  he  was  a  member  and  con- 
stant worshiper  after  his  marriage. 

When  elected  in  1885  as  an  overseer  of 
Harvard  College  he  was  a  young  man  to 
have  received  such  honorable  recognition. 
It  was  a  grateful  service  to  him,  and  he 
gave  to  the  work  his  best  thought  and 
time.  One  incident  gave  him  an  oppor- 
tunity to  test  his  abilities  in  swaying  a  sen- 
sitive and  critical  audience.  The  over- 
seers at  the  time  felt  that  the  students 
were  given  too  great  liberty,  and  resolved 
to  urge  upon  the  faculty  rather  stringent 
regulations  as  to  hours  and  habits  of  work. 
The  students  and  many  members  of  the 
faculty  thought  that  the  proposed  restric- 
tions were  unnecessary  and  unwise.  A 
56 


A   CITIZEN 

feeling  of  mutual  suspicion  was  aroused. 
Mr.  Wolcott  was  asked  to  address  a  mass 
meeting  of  students  and  members  of  the 
faculty,  to  answer  questions,  and  to  ex- 
plain the  position  of  the  overseers.  It  was 
not  an  easy  task.  His  frankness,  however, 
disarmed  criticism,  and  his  sense  of  hu- 
mor and  his  quick  repartees  gained  the 
sympathy  of  the  students.  The  comment 
of  "  The  Lampoon  "  tells  the  result:  — 

"  Roger  Wolcott,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  who 
presented  the  overseers'  view  of  the  recent 
restriction  votes  at  the  college  conference 
meeting,  Tuesday  evening,  succeeded,  as 
no  one  had  before  done  at  these  meetings, 
in  bringing  the  large  body  of  students  to 
look  on  matters  as  do  the  healthy,  broad- 
minded,  and  successful  members  of  the 
alumni  (of  whom  Mr.  Wolcott  is  an  ex- 
cellent type).  On  his  appearance  on  the 
platform,  the  mysterious  'Board  of  Over- 
57 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

seers,'  so  long  the  butt  of  the  '  Lam- 
poon's '  jokes,  and  the  '  Crimson's  '  l  fresh- 
man' editorials,  was  materialized  at  once 
in  a  vigorous  representative  of  "the  active 
alumni  superior  to  both  students  and 
faculty,  and  able  to  carry  out  their  reason- 
able demands.  The  throng  of  students 
that  crowded  the  large  lecture -room 
greeted  him  with  long-continued  applause, 
and  notwithstanding  the  attempts  of  one 
or  two  Harvard  Union  debaters  to  stir  up 
a  snarl  near  the  close,  Mr.  Wolcott  was 
frequently  interrupted  with  applause,  and 
left  amid  the  unmistakable  signs  of  good- 
will in  his  audience." 

In  1888,  the  development  of  the  differ- 
ent departments  of  the  university,  espe- 
cially of  the  Lawrence  Scientific  School, 
brought  upon  the  overseers  for  the  first 
time  the  question  of  the  enlargement  of 
the  franchise,  by  which  graduates  of  the 
58 


A   CITIZEN 

professional  schools  could  be  given  the 
right  to  vote  for  overseers.  Mr.  Wolcott 
wrote  and  signed  a  report  urging  the  en- 
largement of  the  franchise  in  such  clear 
and  effective  argument  and  language,  that 
later  reports  upon  the  subject  have  had 
little  to  add. 

It  might  seem  as  if  these  were  enough 
public  interests  to  consume  the  time  of  a 
man  who  was  trying  to  make  his  way  in 
the  law.  Roger  Wolcott  was,  however, 
a  citizen  who  from  boyhood  had  been 
impressed  with  a  sense  of  duty  to  his 
country.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  took  up  the 
active  duties  of  citizenship.  He  believed 
that  all  citizens  should  do  their  part,  not 
only  in  voting,  but  in  political  work.  He 
was  active  at  the  caucuses,  and  distributed 
ballots  at  the  elections.  He  cast  his  vote 
with  the  utmost  conscientiousness. 
59 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

It  was  soon  clear  to  those  who  were 
interested  in  good  city  government,  that 
Roger  Wolcott  had  in  him  the  possibilities 
of  excellent  public  service.  Within  two 
years  of  the  time  that  he  had  begun  work 
as  a  lawyer,  he  was  nominated  and  elected 
a  member  of  the  common  council  of 
Boston.  He  was  again  elected,  serving 
in  1877,  1878,  and  1879.  His  consistency, 
courtesy,  and  fairmindedness  so  gained 
for  him  the  confidence  of  men  of  all  par- 
ties, that  even  then  he  was  spoken  of  as  a 
possible  non-partisan  candidate  for  mayor. 
In  1882,  1883,  and  1884,  he  served  in  the 
lower  house  of  the  state  legislature.  He 
worked  and  spoke  in  the  campaign  of 
1882  against  the  election  of  Benjamin  F. 
Butler  as  governor. 

As  a  member  of  the  joint  standing 
committee  on  public  charitable  institu- 
tions, he  showed  force  in  connection  with 
60 


A   CITIZEN 

the  Tewksbury  Almshouse  investigation 
by  Governor  Butler.  Upon  his  retire- 
ment from  the  legislature,  he  had  won 
the  confidence  of  the  whole  house. 

During  these  years,  he  had  followed  the 
course  of  the  two  great  national  parties. 
The  Republican  party,  with  which  by  in- 
heritance and  conviction  he  was  allied, 

• 

and  which  had  been  in  power  since  the 
war,  was  showing  the  demoralizing  influ- 
ences of  success.  The  narrow  escape 
from  defeat  by  the  Democratic  party  led 
by  Mr.  Tilden  in  1876,  and  the  pure  ad- 
ministration of  President  Hayes,  had  been 
helpful  toward  reform.  To  the  uphold- 
ers of  pure  government,  and  to  the  increas- 
ing body  of  mugwumps  and  independents, 
there  was,  however,  ample  cause  for  dis- 
content. In  1880  Garfield  and  Arthur 
were  elected. 

During  the  next  four  years  the   condi- 
61 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

tions  in  the  party  seemed  to  many  to 
become  worse.  The  management  of  the 
party  was  in  the  hands  of  men  who,  for 
political  and  financial  integrity,  had  not 
the  confidence  of  the  country.  The  man 
who  stood  to  many  of  the  people  as  the 
most  conspicuous  representative  of  these 
elements  was  James  G.  Elaine.  When, 
therefore,  the  Republican  Convention  of 
1884  met  and,  in  spite  of  the  protest  of 
a  large  number  of  delegates  and  the  open 
statement  that  a  fraction  would  bolt  his 
nomination,  Mr.  Blaine  was  nominated, 
Mr.  Wolcott  refused  to  be  one  of  those 
to  .support  the  nomination.  Mr.  Wolcott 
was  a  Republican  whose  loyalty  to  the 
party  was  not  dependent  upon  the  per- 
sonality of  the  man  at  the  head  of  the 
ticket.  Four  years  before,  when  his 
friends  were  forming  Bristow  clubs  be- 
fore the  national  convention,  he,  though 
62 


A   CITIZEN 

he  admired  Mr.  Bristow,  and  would  have 
been  glad  to  see  him  nominated,  refused 
to  join  a  club.  He  believed  in  giving 
the  convention  freedom  of  action  in  the 
choice  of  candidates.  The  nomination 
of  Mr.  Elaine  was  to  him,  however,  more 
than  a  question  of  personality,  —  there 
was  an  issue  of  morality.  The  support  of 
the  Republican  candidate  meant  to  him 
the  support  of  unworthy  and  evil  elements 
in  the  national  government.  His  deci- 
sion to  break  from  his  political  associations 
caused  him  much  distress.  He  believed 
then,  as  he  did  through  life,  that  the 
American  people  have  high  moral  stand- 
ards, and  that  the  party  which  expects  to 
hold  their  confidence  must  not  only  have 
high  principles  in  its  platforms,  but  must 
select  for  its  leaders  men  in  whose  politi- 
cal honesty  and  high  character  the  people 
can  trust.  As  a  Republican,  therefore, 
63 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

and  for  what  he  believed  to  be  the  best 
interests  of  the  Republican  party,  he  voted 
for  the  candidate  in  whose  political  integ- 
rity he  had  confidence,  Grover  Cleveland. 
This  action  of  Mr.  Wolcott  was  signifi- 
cant. He  was  not  by  nature  or  taste  an 
independent;  he  believed  in  political  par- 
ties; he  was  a  strong  Republican,  and 
indorsed  the  general  principles  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  had  been  steadily 
gaining  in  influence  in  the  party  in  Massa- 
chusetts, had  won  many  friends,  and  had 
so  conducted  himself  in  office  as  to  make 
promotion  almost  certain  if  he  stood  by 
the  party.  He  had  begun  to  catch  the 
eye  of  the  public.  Political  office  as  such 
had  no  attractions  for  him;  but  as  a  means 
of  public  service  he  esteemed  public 
office.  However,  to  him  the  issue  was 
plain  and  his  duty  clear.  He  had  plenty 
of  useful  work  ahead,  and  no  one  by  taste 
64 


A   CITIZEN 

and  education  was  better  fitted  to  be  a 
happy  private  citizen.  He  declined  to  be 
a  candidate  for  Congress  on  the  Independ- 
ent-Democratic ticket,  when  an  election 
was  almost  sure.  He  still  claimed  to  be 
a  good  Republican.  At  the  next  caucus 
his  vote  was  protested,  but  he  pressed  his 
claim,  and  was  so  far  successful  that  he 
was  sent  in  1885  from  ward  n,  Boston, 
as  an  alternate  delegate  to  the  next  Re- 
publican State  Convention,  and  as  a  dele- 
gate took  part  in  its  proceedings. 

At  this  time,  the  health  of  his  father, 
Mr.  J.  Huntington  Wolcott,  was  begin- 
ning to  fail,  and  Mrs.  Wolcott  had  been 
delicate  for  years.  In  fact,  life  had  not 
been  the  same  to  them  since  Huntington's 
death,  and  they  both  looked  upon  Roger, 
their  only  son,  as  the  support  and  comfort 
of  their  declining  years.  With  what  filial 
piety  he  gave  himself  to  that  service  is 
65 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

familiar  to  all  who  knew  them.  His  de- 
votion to  his  parents  is,  perhaps,  the  most 
beautiful  feature  of  his  whole  life.  So 
complete  was  it,  that  some  of  his  intimate 
friends  were  at  times  disposed  to  chafe, 
feeling  that  he  was  unduly  hampered  in 
the  prosecution  of  interests  which  might 
lead  to  his  future  influence  or  position. 

When  he  was  asked  to  run  as  a  Repub- 
lican candidate  for  mayor  of  Boston,  with 
a  probability  of  election,  he  declined  on 
account  of  his  father's  health.  Besides 
taking  the  full  responsibility  of  his  father's 
affairs,  he  attended  to  all  the  petty  ques- 
tions of  the  household  and  the  estate  at 
Blue  Hill.  No  public  business  was  so 
pressing  that  it  could  draw  him  away  from 
anything  which  he  felt  would  be  of  plea- 
sure or  comfort  to  his  parents.  In  fact,  it 
may  be  said  that  during  the  last  few  years 
of  his  father's  life,  Roger  considered  his 
66 


A   CITIZEN 

father's  comfort  his  chief  business,  and  all 
other  duties,  private,  professional,  or  pub- 
lic, subordinate  to  that. 

The  quiet  hours  passed  with  his  parents 
gave  him  opportunity  for  reading  and  writ- 
ing. In  1887  he  wrote  for  the  "Tran- 
script "  a  careful  article  on  the  Constitu- 
tion adopted  in  1787.  He  was  very  fond 
of  poetry,  and  learned  much  by  heart, 
which  he  repeated  with  deep  feeling.  His 
reading  of  the  Bible  was  most  tender  and 
impressive.  As  his  father's  strength  waned, 
Roger's  devotion  became  more  and  more 
complete,  until  he  seemed  to  fill  the  offices 
of  doctor,  chaplain,  and  nurse;  and  when 
the  end  came  in  1891  and  the  care  ceased, 
it  was,  with  all  its  relief,  as  if  one  great 
privilege  of  his  life  had  been  taken  from 
him. 

In  1884  the  election  of  Mr.  Cleveland, 
67 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

the  first  Democratic  President  since  the 
civil  war,  was  a  warning  to  the  Republi- 
can party  that  a  new  generation  was  ris- 
ing, that  certain  old  issues  dear  to  the  Re- 
publicans were  dead,  and  that  there  was 
discontent  with  the  leadership  of  the  party. 
The  country  was  tired  of  eloquent  plat- 
forms and  wanted  men.  Mr.  Cleveland 
soon  showed  himself  to  be  a  man  of  force, 
and  struck  out  in  lines  that  drew  the 
attention  of  the  thoughtful  young  men  of 
the  country.  The  impression  was  abroad, 
certainly  in  some  of  the  Eastern  States, 
that  the  Republican  party  was  hidebound, 
that  it  insisted  on  an  unreasonable  tariff, 
that  it  was  governed  by  the  corporations, 
and  especially  that,  being  in  the  hands  of 
men  like  Senator  Quay  of  Pennsylvania, 
who  was  at  that  time  chairman  of  the  na- 
tional Republican  committee,  nothing  in 
the  way  of  high  principle  or  strong  leader- 
68 


A   CITIZEN 

ship  on  the  great  issues  could  be  expected 
of  it.  The  Republican  party  and  its  man- 
agement in  Massachusetts  seemed  to  reflect 
something  of  the  same  spirit.  Massachu- 
setts had  ever  since  the  war  been  reck- 
oned as  a  Republican  stronghold,  but  there 
had  risen  from  the  ranks  of  the  once  de- 
spised Democratic  party  a  young  Harvard 
man,  William  E.  Russell,  who,  by  his  elec- 
tion as  Governor  in  1890,  won  a  great  Dem- 
ocratic victory.  It  was  clear  that  he  had 
been  elected  by  the  votes  of  men  who 
once  voted  the  Republican  ticket  or  by 
young  men  who,  of  Republican  parentage, 
were  rising  up  to  make  a  new  Demo- 
cratic party.  Again  Russell  was  elected, 
and  young  men  like  John  F.  Andrew  and 
Sherman  Hoar,  sons  of  great  Republican 
leaders  of  the  war,  were  going  to  Con- 
gress as  Democrats. 

It  was  time  that   something  should  be 
69 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

done  to  stem  the  tide  by  the  younger  men 
of  the  Republican  party  who  believed  in  a 
forward  movement  and  higher  political 
standards.  Beginning  with  an  informal 
gathering,  the  Republican  Club  of  Massa- 
chusetts was  formed;  its  list  of  members 
soon  ran  into  the  hundreds.  The  critical 
question  was  whom  should  they  select  as 
their  standard-bearer;  who  among  the 
younger  Republicans  had  the  courage  and 
tact,  the  position  and  force,  to  call  the  at- 
tention of  the  people  to  the  movement  and 
to  show  them  that  they  too  had  a  leader. 

They  turned  to  Roger  Wolcott  at  the 
time  that  his  father's  death  left  him  free 
to  enter  public  life  again,  and  he  became 
the  first  president  of  the  Young  Men's 
Republican  Club  of  Massachusetts,  now 
the  Republican  Club  of  Massachusetts. 

In  January,  1891,  the  club  had  its  first 
public  dinner.  Upon  the  president  de- 
70 


A   CITIZEN 

volved  the  duty  of  striking  the  first  note 
and  of  revealing  to  the  public  the  motives 
and  objects  of  the  club.  Were  there  in 
him  and  the  members  the  elements  of 
leadership?  It  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that,  although  there  was  much  discon- 
tent in  some  quarters,  the  public  con- 
science had  not  yet  been  aroused,  and  men 
with  political  futures  had  not  spoken  in 
clear  tones.  The  speech  of  Roger  Wol- 
cott,  unconscious  as  he  was  of  the  fact, 
marked  his  entrance  into  public  life  and  a 
new  political  era,  at  least  for  the  State  of 
Massachusetts.  In  truth,  some  waves  of 
his  strong  voice  swept  through  the  coun- 
try. The  speech  is  prophetic ;  its  charac- 
teristics are  the  characteristics  that  were 
his  to  the  end.  It  was  the  word  of  a  high- 
minded  man  who  was  in  earnest;  it  rang 
true;  it  revealed  a  full  confidence  in  the 
intelligence  and  character  of  the  Ameri- 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

can  people;  it  appealed,  not  to  their  pas- 
sions, but  to  their  consciences  and  high 
traditions.  After  expressing  the  loyalty  of 
the  club  to  Republican  principles  and  re- 
calling the  great  deeds  of  the  party  in  and 
since  the  war,  he  said :  — 

"  Such  memories  are  a  curse  if  they 
serve  but  to  unnerve  the  arm  and  to 
slacken  effort.  Unless  they  be  an  incen- 
tive to  lofty  courage  and  noble  emulation, 
they  become  by  contrast  a  stigma  to  the 
present  generation  and  brand  it  as  unwor- 
thy of  that  which  is  so  rapidly  passing 
away. 

"  No  word  of  mine  shall  ever  be  uttered 
to  depreciate  that  robust  and  virile  inde- 
pendence in  politics  which  holds  country 
and  honor  above  party,  which  while  acting 
within  party  lines  ever  strives  to  secure 
the  best  in  men  and  measures,  and,  often 
buffeted  and  defeated,  never  ceases  to 
72 


A   CITIZEN 

wage  war  upon  dishonesty  and  chicanery, 
using  party  as  a  weapon  but  never  wearing 
it  as  a  yoke. 

"  But  the  independent  who  prides  him- 
self upon  being  a  total  abstainer,  until  the 
day  of  election,  from  all  lot  or  part  in  po- 
litical movements,  should  be  treated  as 
those  who  skulk  when  the  bugle  sounds. 
It  was  not  the  arduous  rigors  of  the  Alps 
nor  the  repeated  assaults  of  Rome's  trained 
legions  that  broke  the  nerve  of  Hannibal's 
victorious  army,  but  the  soft  vices  of  Ca- 
pua, where  sloth  and  ease  took  the  place 
of  vigilance  and  strife,  and  the  sutler's  tent 
supplanted  the  general's  guidon  in  the  sol- 
dier's affection. 

"  Is  this  to  be  the  fate  of  the  Republi- 
can party?  It  must  not  be.  It  must  make 
its  appeal,  as  of  old,  to  the  intelligence  and 
patriotism  of  the  country.  It  must  rally 
to  its  standard  the  recruit  and  drum  out 
73 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

the  mercenary.  The  loss  of  thousands  of 
votes  in  this  State  was  due  to  the  Pennsyl- 
vanian  who  is  still  chairman  of  the  national 
committee.  .  .  . 

"  The  Empire  State  substitutes  a  Hill 
for  an  Evarts  in  her  highest  office,  and 
when  he  takes  his  seat  in  the  Senate  he 
will  present  an  interesting  subject  for  com- 
parison with  his  able  and  upright  Repub- 
lican predecessor.  .  .  . 

"  We  look  to  the  Republican  party  as 
the  bulwark  against  the  menace  of  irra- 
tional silver  legislation.  This  battle  is  not 
yet  fought  out  to  an  issue.  .  .  .  Congress 
may  put  a  false  bottom  in  the  quart  pot  or 
bore  out  the  core  of  a  pound  weight  and 
fill  it  with  cement,  and  declare  that  the 
new  measures  shall  still  be  called  a  quart 
or  a  pound,  and  this  may  satisfy  him  who 
sells,  but  no  power  on  earth  can  make 
him  who  buys  satisfied  therewith.  In  like 
74 


A   CITIZEN 

manner,  Congress  may  say,  not  without  a 
sacrifice  of  national  honor,  that  seventy  or 
eighty  or  ninety  cents'  worth  of  silver 
shall  be  called  a  dollar,  but  in  the  ex- 
changes of  the  world  this  fiat  money  dic- 
tum will  have  just  about  as  much  effect 
as  a  paper  blockade.  On  this  issue  the 
position  of  the  Republican  party  must  be 
sharply  defined. 

"  We  believe  that  wherever,  through 
bribery,  intimidation,  or  fraud,  elections 
fail  to  express  the  will  of  the  legally  qual- 
ified voters,  there  is  a  failure  of  republi- 
can government.  The  menace  to  the  cause 
of  free  government  embodied  in  'blocks 
of  five  '  is  as  real  as  that  lurking  in  the 
shotgun  or  the  tissue  ballot. 

"  More  than  it  has  yet  done  is  expected 

of  the  Republican  party  in  the  reform  of 

civil   service.     It  requires   no  very  close 

study  of  American  politics  to  reveal  the 

75 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

fact  that  the  dispensation  of  party  patron- 
age has  done  more  to  corrupt  and  imbit- 
ter  elections,  to  squander  the  time  of  those 
in  office,  to  demoralize  those  who  aspire  to 
office,  and  to  wreck  the  fortunes  of  indi- 
viduals, of  administrations,  and  of  parties, 
than  almost  any  other  cause.  .  .  . 

"  These  are  some  of  the  questions  on 
which  we  believe  the  position  of  the  Re- 
publican party  to  be  more  sound  and  en- 
lightened than  that  of  the  Democratic; 
and  for  this  reason  we  are  content  to  sit 
here  to-night  as  members  and  guests  and 
well-wishers  of  the  Republican  club  of 
Massachusetts." 

After  this  speech  Roger  Wolcott  and 
his  young  followers  were  an  element  to  be 
reckoned  with  in  the  political  life  of  Mas- 
sachusetts. 


CHAPTER  V 

LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

[HE  death  of  his  father  in  1891 
left  Mr.  Wolcott  free  to  take 
up  again  such  public  duties  or 
office  as  might  be  offered  him. 
In  the  spring  of  1892  the  active  members 
of  the  Republican  Club  of  Massachusetts 
and  those  who  were  of  a  sympathetic  mind 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  time 
that  the  principles  for  which  they  stood 
should  be  more  actively  felt  in  the  State 
Republican  party;  they  therefore  began 
work  looking  towards  the  nomination  of 
a  young  man  for  the  office  of  governor  or 
lieutenant-governor.  The  name  suggested 
was  that  of  Roger  Wolcott. 
77 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

There  were  many  considerations  in  his 
favor.  He  had  had  experience  in  the  Bos- 
ton common  council  and  the  legislature, 
and  had  shown  himself  to  be  conscientious, 
fairminded,  courteous,  and  wise:  he  was 
a  man  of  high  social  position  and  of  fine 
and  attractive  presence ;  he  had  in  his  Re- 
publican Club  speech  grasped  the  situation 
and  expressed  the  feelings  of  the  people. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  were  evident 
limitations.  Eight  years  before,  when  the 
Republican  party  was  in  danger  of  defeat, 
Mr.  Wolcott  had  forsaken  its  banner  and 
had  voted  for  the  first  Democratic  Presi- 
dent since  the  war.  He  was  therefore 
obnoxious  to  some  influential  politicians, 
and  they  had  good  reason  to  think  that  he 
would  hurt  the  ticket  among  the  rank  and 
file  of  Republicans.  Others  felt  that,  being 
of  high  social  position  and  a  Harvard  man, 
living  on  the  Back  Bay,  he  was  not  one  of 
78 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

the  people.  The  people,  they  thought, 
had  no  interest  in  a  young  man  who  was 
so  nice  in  his  political  principles  and  so 
aristocratic  in  bearing. 

As  the  Republican  Convention  ap- 
proached, all  agreed  that  the  nomination 
for  governor  should  be  given  to  William 
H.  Haile,  then  lieutenant-governor.  The 
struggle  was  to  be  upon  the  nomination 
for  lieutenant-governor.  The  names  of 
four  candidates  were  presented,  and  on  the 
first  ballot  there  was  no  election.  The 
issue  was  now  clear  between  the  two  ele- 
ments then  existing  in  the  state  party,  and 
on  the  second  ballot  Mr.  Wolcott  was 
nominated  by  a  vote  of  499  to  473,  with 
two  scattering  votes. 

It  was  a  presidential    campaign.      Mr. 

Harrison  had  been  renominated,  and  the 

Democrats  had  brought  again  to  the  front 

their    leader,   Mr.    Cleveland.     Governor 

79 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

William  E.  Russell,  deservedly  popular 
throughout  the  State,  was  running  for  his 
third  term. 

For  the  first  time  the  people  of  Massa- 
chusetts had  an  opportunity  to  see  and 
hear  Mr.  Wolcott.  As  he  stood  before 
them,  they  recognized  his  simplicity  and 
sincerity.  His  presence  betokened  a 
Massachusetts  man  of  the  finest  type;  he 
was  tall  and  straight;  his  head  was  well 
set,  his  face  open  and  frank;  in  his  jet 
black  hair  was  a  touch  of  silver.  Even 
before  he  opened  his  mouth,  he  had  gained 
the  interest  and  sympathy  of  the  audience. 
His  voice  was  clear  and,  as  it  rose,  ringing. 
He  wasted  no  time  in  telling  funny  stories; 
in  this  he  showed  his  respect  for  the  peo- 
ple's intelligence  and  serious-mindedness. 
If  in  the  first  few  words  he  spoke  lightly 
or  bandied  a  word  with  the  previous 
speaker  or  an  opponent  who  had  made  a 
80 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

speech  in  town  the  night  before,  it  was  al- 
ways with  a  purpose,  to  lead  up  to  his  main 
thought;  and  when  he  was  once  off,  he 
held  to  his  subject  and  treated  it  earnestly 
and  seriously.  He  kindled  as  he  went  on, 
broke  forth  into  more  rhetorical  phrases; 
led  the  people  back  to  the  salient  thought; 
appealed  .to  their  higher  motives,  to  pa- 
triotism or  religion;  and  sat  down. 

No  one  saw  in  him  a  great  orator,  a 
merely  amusing  speaker,  a  narrow  party 
advocate,  or  an  over-keen  debater.  He 
rose  to  heights  of  eloquence  at  times, 
he  had  a  sense  of  humor,  and  could  be 
quick  at  repartee;  when  occasion  called 
he  sent  back  to  his  opponent  as  good 
as  he  gave,  but  always  with  courtesy  and 
a  full  appreciation  of  the  position  of  the 
other.  He  never  took  unfair  advantage 
to  misquote,  misinterpret,  or  ascribe  ulte- 
rior motives  to  his  opponent  Sometimes 
81 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

he  was  so  considerate  of  the  other  point  of 
view  as  to  seem  to  weaken  his  own  posi- 
tion; but  that  very  temper  gained  for  him 
the  confidence  of  his  hearers.  If,  as  was 
the  case  in  this  campaign,  his  votes  on  some 
questions  in  the  legislature  were  criti- 
cised, he  met  the  issue  frankly,  stated  his 
position,  and  relying  on  his  record,  let  the 
people  judge  for  themselves  as  to  his  mo- 
tives and  the  wisdom  of  his  course. 

He  spoke,  and  the  people  recognized 
that  he  spoke  simply  as  a  citizen,  a  patriot, 
to  whom  high  privileges  had  been  given 
and  upon  whom  certain  public  duties  had 
been  laid;  he  was  a  man  among  men, 
interested  in  men,  women,  and  children, 
always  glad  to  meet  them  and  apprecia- 
tive of  their  loyalty  to  him. 

The  great  power  of  Roger  Wolcott  with 
the  people  of  Massachusetts  was  in  the 
fact  that  in  all  places  and  under  all  circum- 
82 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

stances  he  rang  true.  There  was  some- 
thing in  the  transparency  of  his  character 
and  the  simplicity  of  his  nature  which  re- 
vealed this.  The  farmer  and  the  mill-hand, 
hearing  him  for  the  first  time,  felt  it;  then 
watching  him  knew  it.  He  trusted  the 
people,  and  the  people  trusted  him. 

This  was  the  impression  that  he  made  in 
his  first  campaign,  as  he  spoke  from  town 
to  city  throughout  the  Commonwealth. 

In  the  national  election  the  Democrats 
won,  and  Mr.  Cleveland  was  elected.  In 
the  state,  Mr.  Russell's  popularity  made 
him  again  governor,  but  with  that  excep- 
tion the  Republican  ticket,  with  Mr.  Wol- 
cott  as  lieutenant-governor,  was  elected. 

Mr.  Wolcott  now  found  himself  in  a 
rather  delicate  position.  As  lieutenant- 
governor  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  State 
Republican  party,  with,  however,  a  Demo- 
crat as  governor.  Some  partisans  would 
83 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

have  liked  to  have  him  make  party  capital 
out  of  the  position  and  appeal  to  the  popu- 
lace by  hampering  the  governor  and  put- 
ting him  when  possible  into  difficult  situa- 
tions. On  the  other  hand,  Mr.  Wolcott, 
suspected  by  some  Republicans  of  being  an 
independent  at  heart,  was  by  policy  and 
principle  bound  to  stand  by  the  party  when 
an  issue  should  arise,  and  to  run  the  risk  of 
being  called  a  partisan  by  his  independent 
supporters.  Whenever,  and  it  was  usually 
the  case,  he  could  support  the  governor's 
policy  or  nominations,  he  did  so.  When- 
ever by  rare  exceptions  he  could  not,  he 
said  so  frankly,  and  gave  his  reasons. 

There  was  but  one  issue  of  importance 
between  himself  and  the  governor,  and 
that  arose  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  coun- 
cil. 

The  unusual  situation  of  a  governor  of 
one  party  and  a  council  of  the  other  raised 
84 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

the  question  of  the  right  of  the  governor 
to  appoint  all  committees  of  the  council. 
An  amendment  to  the  existing  rule  was 
offered  that  all  committees  be  appointed 
by  the  governor  "  unless  the  council  shall 
otherwise  order."  Before  the  vote  was 
taken,  the  governor  read  a  protest  against 
the  amendment  as  infringing  upon  the 
rights  and  prerogatives  of  the  governor. 
The  lieutenant-governor  followed  with  a 
statement,  which  he  asked  to  have  placed 
upon  record,  showing  that  the  council  was 
defining  its  inherent  right,  and  was  follow- 
ing the  precedent  of  all  legislative  bodies 
in  determining  the  method  of  the  appoint- 
ment of  committees.  He  lifted  the  subject 
to  a  high  plane,  and  although  the  papers 
of  each  party  tried  to  make  an  issue, 
his  judicial  treatment  of  the  question  had 
withdrawn  it  from  partisan  discussion.  In 
this  action  at  the  very  beginning  of  his 
85 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

administration,  the  people  realized  that  in 
the  lieutenant-governor  they  had  a  man  of 
force  and  independent  habits  of  thought. 

As  the  summer  of  1893  approached,  the 
question  arose  as  to  who  should  lead  the 
Republican  party  at  the  next  election. 
Governor  Russell  had  notified  his  party 
that  he  would  retire  at  the  end  of  his  term. 
The  Republicans  now  saw  their  oppor- 
tunity to  regain  the  State.  A  man  must 
be  selected  as  the  candidate  for  governor 
who  was  well  known  throughout  the  Com- 
monwealth, who  had  had  wide  experience, 
who  would  unite  all  the  elements  of  the 
party,  and  who  by  temperament  and  abil- 
ity could  put  up  a  hard  and  close  fight. 
Several  candidates  were  in  the  field.  Mr. 
Wolcott's  friends  were  divided;  many  of 
them  hoped  that  the  tradition  of  promotion 
would  be  followed  and  that  he  would  be 
selected;  others  felt  that  he  should  not 
86 


JET.    46 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

stand;  even  those  near  him  did  not  yet 
realize  his  strength  with  the  people.  He 
was,  however,  still  young;  the  whole  State 
did  not  know  him  well,  and  his  was  not 
the  campaign-fighting  temperament. 

The  Hon.  Frederic  T.  Greenhalge,  of 
Lowell,  who  had  served  in  Congress  from 
1889  to  1891  with  credit  and  had  shown 
himself  a  man  of  independent  temper  and 
a  good  fighter,  was  brought  forward  as  the 
best  man  for  the  emergency.  Mr.  Wol- 
cott's  name  was  not  presented  to  the  con- 
vention as  a  candidate  for  the  nomination 
for  governor.  After  the  nomination  of 
Mr.  Greenhalge,  Mr.  Wolcott  was  nomi- 
nated unanimously  and  by  acclamation  as 
the  candidate  for  lieutenant-governor. 

His  speech  to  the  convention  upon  the 
acceptance   of   his    nomination    expresses 
clearly  the  issues  before  the  country  and 
his  attitude  toward  them. 
87 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

"  We  pledge  again,"  he  said,  "  our  alle- 
giance to  those  principles  from  which  the 
Republican  party  has  never  wavered  in  its 
support.  We  believe  in  an  honest  and 
stable  currency.  We  believe  in  and  de- 
mand a  dollar  that  shall  not  be  the  poorest 
or  the  cheapest  dollar  in  the  world,  but 
the  best  dollar  in  the  world.  We  believe 
in  a  tariff  policy  which,  while  it  protects 
the  American  laboring  man,  fosters  and 
encourages  American  industries.  We 
believe  in  a  free  ballot  and  an  honest 
count  everywhere  throughout  our  country. 
We  believe  in  equal  privileges  under  our 
law,  and  equal  protection  under  the  law  of 
all  our  citizens,  whatever  be  their  creed, 
their  color,  or  their  birth.  We  believe  in 
honest  enforcement  of  the  civil  service  law, 
with  sincerity  and  without  hypocrisy.  We 
believe  that  the  merit  system  should  be 
still  further  extended.  These  are  some  of 
88 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

the  faiths  that  have  made  us  and  held  us 
Republicans.  Into  this  campaign  we  go 
forth  determined  to  win  success  for  every 
name  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest." 

The  result  of  the  election  was  a  victory 
for  the  Republicans :  Mr.  Greenhalge  re- 
ceived a  vote  of  192,613  and  Mr.  Wolcott 
of  194,243. 

The  two  following  years  of  1894  and 
1895,  during  which  Mr.  Wolcott  fulfilled 
the  duties  of  his  office,  were  uneventful. 
He  cordially  supported  the  governor,  was 
conscientious  and  wise  in  his  work  as  a 
member  of  the  council,  and  relieved  the 
governor  of  much  arduous  labor  by  repre- 
senting the  Commonwealth  in  his  stead  at 
many  public  functions. 

There  was  one  incident  which  enabled 
Mr.  Wolcott  to  reveal  his  true  American 
spirit. 

There  swept  at  this  time  over  New 
89 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

England  one  of  those  tides  of  suspicion  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church  which  occa- 
sionally rise  among  Protestant  peoples. 
Mr.  Wolcott,  in  approving  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  certain  Roman  Catholic  as  a 
supervisor  of  schools,  aroused  the  hostil- 
ity of  the  organization  which  represented 
this  movement  and  which  claimed  to  rep- 
resent a  large  number  of  voters,  —  the 
American  Protective  Association,  popu- 
larly called  the  A.  P.  A.  When,  there- 
fore, the  time  came  for  his  re-election,  his 
position  upon  the  religious  question  was 
demanded;  and  in  a  speech  at  Holyoke 
in  October,  1895,  he  gave  no  uncertain 
answer  when  he  said:  — 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  no  greater  injury 
can  be  done  to  the  American  people  than 
in  attempting  to  bring  into  our  elections 
the  bitter  feelings  of  race  and  religious 
animosity. 

90 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

"  And  I  believe  that  whoever  undertakes 
to  do  that  —  and  I  care  not  who  began  it, 
on  which  side  it  springs  —  I  believe  that 
whoever  does  that  does  an  injury  to  the 
Commonwealth  which  I  suppose  he  pro- 
fesses to  love  and  does  love. 

"  To  draw  the  line  on  religious  grounds 
I  believe  to  be  a  crime  against  the  broad 
conception  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
and  the  broad  and  generous  Republican 
party.  I  have  known,  as  all  of  you  have, 
too  many  loyal,  faithful  friends  —  those 
who  served  in  the  army  have  had  com- 
rades as  brave,  as  devoted  to  the  flag  as 
any  one, — men  born  perhaps  across  the  sea, 
under  different  allegiance,  under  a  differ- 
ent religion,  who,  when  they  found  them- 
selves here,  assimilated  into  the  life  of  the 
nation,  showed  themselves  to  have  the 
same  quality  of  citizenship  which  we  boast 
of  in  our  own  citizens.  .  .  . 
91 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

"  I  appeal  to  the  people  of  Massachusetts 
to  hold  her  true  to  that  principle  of  equal 
rights  and  obligations  which  I  believe  to 
be  embodied  in  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  of  America,  and  in  that 
careful  statement  in  the  Constitution  of 
Massachusetts,  —  equal  rights  to  all,  no 
matter  what  their  religious  opinion  may 
be,  so  long  as  you  recognize  in  them  the 
spirit  of  loyalty  to  the  nation  and  the 
Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts." 

There  was  a  decrease  of  some  thou- 
sands in  his  vote  at  the  next  election, 
though  whether  it  was  due  to  this  or  to 
other  conditions  is  uncertain.  Frank  as 
he  was  in  meeting  this  un-American  spirit 
on  one  side,  he  was  equally  frank  when 
he  spoke  as  follows  to  the  students  of 
Holy  Cross  College,  many  of  whom  were 
of  foreign  parentage :  — 
"You  will  agree  with  me,  I  am  sure,  when 
92 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

I  say  that  the  name  of  American  gains 
nothing  by  having  any  other  word  coupled 
with  it  by  a  hyphen;  that  we  all,  whose 
destinies,  whose  lives,  whose  very  selves 
are  to-day  bound  up  with  the  destiny  of 
America,  that  we  need  not  call  ourselves 
British-Americans,  nor  German-Ameri- 
cans, nor  Scandinavian-Americans,  nor 
Irish-Americans  ;  that  the  one  name 
'  American '  alone  is  enough  to  rally  to 
this  flag  all  loyal  and  generous  spirits." 

The  position  of  lieutenant-governor  is 
not  an  easy  one  for  a  man  of  force  and 
confidence  in  his  own  abilities.  He  has 
certain  definite  duties  which  are  easily 
performed,  though  his  responsibilities  as 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  pardons 
rest  heavily  upon  a  man  of  sensitive  con- 
science. In  the  eye  of  the  public,  how- 
ever, he  is  the  man  who,  second  to  the  gov- 
ernor, represents  the  Commonwealth  at 
93 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

such  public  functions  as  the  governor  can- 
not attend. 

It  is  hard,  under  such  circumstances, 
for  a  man  to  show  that  he  has  individual- 
ity or  force.  When,  as  was  the  case  with 
Mr.  Greenhalge,  the  governor  is  a  man  of 
marked  force,  decision,  energy,  and  elo- 
quence, the  situation  is  peculiarly  difficult. 

Fortunately,  Mr.  Wolcott  had  such  strong 
personality,  such  qualities  of  mind  and 
wide  interests,  as  enabled  him  to  make  a 
position  for  himself  apart  from  his  office. 
The  light  official  duties  gave  him  time 
and  freedom.  He  was  an  intelligent  stu- 
dent of  American  history,  a  man  of  culture 
and  ideas,  and  a  speaker  of  such  reputation 
as  always  to  command  an  audience.  Invi- 
tations, therefore,  came  to  him  from  all 
parts  of  the  State,  and  from  cities  at  a  dis- 
tance. In  accepting  them,  he  found  him- 
self driven  to  a  closer  study  of  certain 
94 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

features  of  the  history  of  Massachusetts 
and  her  people,  he  obtained  a  stronger 
grasp  on  many  subjects,  wider  experi- 
ence, and  more  poise  in  public  speaking. 
Through  mingling  with  all  kinds  of  peo- 
ple, he  stimulated  his  social  touch,  and 
dropped  some  of  the  academic  manner 
which  was  natural  to  him,  though  he  never 
lost  that  unconscious  reserve  which  com- 
manded the  respect  of  others.  There  was 
an  added  ease  and  freedom  of  manner,  a 
token  of  self-confidence,  which  gave  force 
to  his  general  bearing.  His  frame  was 
larger  and  more  stately,  though  no  less 
graceful.  A  broader  acquaintance  with  men 
developed  his  knowledge  of  character,  and 
served  him  in  many  practical  ways  a 
few  years  later.  He  had  the  ambition  of 
every  healthy-minded  man  to  make  him- 
self felt;  he  thus  took  advantage  of  these 
opportunities  to  press  home  his  own  deep 
95 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

convictions  on  points  of  citizenship,  pa- 
triotism, and  religion. 

When,  therefore,  he  gave  the  oration  at 
the  two  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary 
of  the  town  of  Manchester,  there  stood 
before  the  audience  a  man  who  was  to 
them  a  representative  New  Englander, 
whose  character  revealed  some  of  the  ele- 
ments that  he  was  depicting. 

The  oration  is  characteristic  in  thought 
and  style.  It  traced  the  story  of  the 
town  in  relation  to  the  local  and  national 
life  from  its  beginning  to  the  present  day. 
There  breathe  such  vitality  and  such  sym- 
pathy with  the  scenes  of  history  and  the 
character  of  Massachusetts,  as  to  justify 
the  following  ample  quotation :  — 

"John  Winthrop  was  born  in  the  mem- 
orable year  of  the  Spanish  Armada.  Even 
before  his  time  the  supremacy  of  the  world 
had  left  the  Mediterranean,  and  was  trav- 
96 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

eling  westward.  Since  then,  the  destiny 
of  the  English-speaking  race  has  marched 
apace,  and  though  in  some  far  future  time 
God  may  raise  up  another  race  to  the  lead- 
ership of  mankind,  it  seems  now  probable 
that  for  centuries  the  history  of  the  world 
will  be  what  the  men  of  our  race  shall 
make  it.  ... 

"  How  little  have  the  physical  features 
of  your  town  changed  since  the  days  of  its 
first  settlement!  .  .  .  As  of  old,  the  cool, 
salt  breath  of  the  ocean  is  wafted  inland 
to  meet  the  hot,  resinous  fragrance  of  the 
pine  forests,  which  still  clothe  the  rocky 
ridges  to  which  the  shore  slopes  upward. 
The  magnolia  and  dogwood  still  throw 
out  their  blossom-laden  branches  over  the 
bayberry  and  ferns  beneath.  On  the  sur- 
face of  peaceful  pool  or  sluggish  brook 
the  pond-lily  opens  its  exquisite  chalice, 
and,  with  the  falling  dusk  of  evening,  folds 
97 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

again  its  petals,  while  the  whip-poor-will 
hurriedly  reiterates  his  monotonous  plaint 
from  the  neighboring  thicket. 

"  Otter  and  beaver,  it  is  true,  have  sought 
refuge  in  Canadian  brooks,  and  bear  and 
wolf  are  no  longer  a  menace  to  the  farm- 
er's flocks.  But  the  little  sandpiper  tip- 
toes just  in  advance  of  the  rippling  wave, 
and  perhaps  wonders,  as  he  did  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years  ago,  at  the  weird  music 
of  the  singing  beach.  In  autumn,  the  wild 
fowl  pierce  with  their  wedge-shaped  flight 
the  regions  of  the  upper  air,  or  circle 
downward  to  some  wood-fringed  lake  to 
rest  on  their  southward  journey.  When 
the  storms  of  winter  rage,  and  the  sea 
mingles  its  driven  spray  with  the  rack  of 
the  lowering  clouds,  the  sea-gulls  wheel 
and  eddy  with  the  gusts  of  the  tempest, 
and  their  complaining  cries,  accordant 
with  the  moaning  of  the  gale,  seem  fit 
98 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

requiem  to  the  drowned  on  Norman's 
Woe.  In  her  long  struggle  with  man, 
Nature  gives  way  but  slowly,  and  contests 
every  foot  of  vantage  ground  she  is  forced 
to  yield.  .  .  . 

"  In  these  towns  of  old  Essex  the  sea- 
captain  has  been  a  familiar  and  venerated 
figure  from  the  earliest  days.  In  time  of 
war,  the  deck  of  the  privateer  knew  the 
sturdy  tread  of  the  men  of  Essex,  as  did 
the  fishing-smack  and  merchantman  in 
time  of  peace.  Hardy  and  vigorous,  they 
knew  the  dangers  of  the  deep,  and  feared 
them  not.  Fearless,  they  faced  disaster 
and  death ;  nor  were  they  appalled  even  by 
that  mysterious  tragedy  of  the  sea,  the 
total  disappearance  from  the  ken  of  man 
of  some  vessel  which  had  left  port,  well- 
manned  and  tight,  with  the  sunshine  bright 
upon  its  straining  canvas,  the  waves  laugh- 
ing in  its  wake,  and  the  following  breeze 
99 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

freighted  with  the  prayers  of  women  and 
the  god-speed  of  men. 

"  No  record,  however  brief,  of  these 
coastwise  towns  of  New  England  can  fail 
to  lay  weighty  emphasis  upon  the  control- 
ling influence  which  the  neighboring  sea 
exerted  upon  the  lives  and  characters  of 
their  inhabitants.  They  smacked  of  the 
salt  as  does  the  breeze  that  blows  over 
seaweed-covered  rocks  at  low  tide.  .  .  . 
Our  Manchester  settler  heard  but  little 
news  from  the  outer  world,  and  read  few 
books.  He  knew  well  his  Bible,  which 
he  read  with  a  stern  but  exalted  faith;  he 
may  have  had  access  to  the  grim  theology 
of  Michael  Wigglesworth's '  Day  of  Doom,' 
or  the  glowing  visions  of  Johnson's  t  Won- 
der-working Providence/  and  from  these 
he  may  have  turned  to  the  more  pleasant 
allegory  of  Bunyan's  i  Pilgrim's  Progress.' 
Let  us  hope  that  the  golden  light  from 

100 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

the  Delectable  Mountains  illumined  his 
life  of  excessive  hardship  and  priva- 
tion. .  .  . 

"  In  the  long  and  dubious  struggle  that 
was  now  ushered  in,  amphibious  old  Essex 
played  well  her  part.  On  land  her  blood 
tinged  many  a  battle-field,  but  it  was  on 
the  sea  that  her  fame  was  won.  The 
splendid  seamanship,  the  cool  courage, 
the  intelligence,  fertile  in  expedient  to 
meet  any  peril  —  these  were  the  qualities 
shown  by  her  sons  wherever  American 
privateer  and  English  war-vessel  grappled 
upon  the  deep.  .  .  . 

"  The  social  and  economic  problems, 
which  now  confound  us  with  their  com- 
plexity and  difficulty,  must  find  their  just 
solution  at  our  hands.  The  savage  strife 
which,  through  their  mutual  fault,  too 
often  breaks  out  between  the  employer 
and  the  employed  must  cease.  The  rights 

101 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

of  both  must  be  more  clearly  defined  by 
law,  and  enforced  by  the  collective  sense 
of  the  community.  .  .  . 

"  How  best  to  reduce  to  their  minimum 
the  colossal  evils  of  intemperance  and  of 
other  vices  demands  the  wisest  legislation, 
carried  into  effective  operation  by  officers 
of  the  law  whose  absolute  integrity  must  be 
assured  by  whatever  safeguards  of  organ- 
ization and  discipline  experience  and  vigi- 
lance can  devise.  Constant  warfare  must 
be  waged  against  those  influences  of 
squalor,  ignorance,  and  vice  which  breed 
crime,  and  constant  effort  exerted  to  make 
its  punishment  such  as  to  give  opportunity 
for  reformation.  That  poverty  which, 
through  lack  of  energy  and  efficiency,  ever 
tends  to  produce  pauperism  must  be  so 
touched  by  the  hand  of  charity  as  to  be 
stimulated  to  self-respect  and  industry.  .  .  . 

"  The  standard  of  decency  and  comfort 

102 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

in  the  lives  and  homes  of  our  toiling  people 
must  not  be  lowered.  The  amazing  power 
of  assimilation  which  American  civiliza- 
tion has  displayed  must  not  be  overtaxed. 
When  entire  families  of  those  alien  in 
speech,  in  habit,  and  in  thought  are  con- 
tent to  kennel  within  the  bare  walls  of 
reeking  tenement  or  contractor's  shanty, 
and  to  live  upon  what  our  own  people  dis- 
card, wholly  untouched  by  the  influences 
which  produce  the  American  citizen,  they 
constitute  a  menace  to  the  community. 
The  rills  of  immigration  which,  properly 
distributed,  serve  to  irrigate  and  fructify 
our  broad  territory,  must  not  be  permitted 
to  become  a  flood  that  shall  swamp  the 
land  or  sweep  it  bare  of  the  accumulated 
soil  of  centuries.  .  .  . 

"  We  must  be  exacting,  and  yet  just  in 
our  judgments  of  those  who  hold  public 
office.     Corruption,  dishonesty,  and  cow- 
103 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

ardice  should  be  sternly  dealt  with  ;  but 
gross  injustice  is  often  wrought  by  em- 
bittered partisan  abuse  and  the  reckless 
imputation  of  unworthy  motives  for  acts 
of  which  the  error  at  most  may  be  one  of 
judgment  only. 

"  A  living  and  active  faith  in  the  great 
truths  of  religion  is  a  force  for  righteous- 
ness in  a  nation,  and  this  faith  is  not  likely 
to  wane  in  vitality  so  long  as  it  conforms 
itself  more  and  more  closely  to  the  teach- 
ings and  life  of  Christ. 

"  Public  education  must  be  ever  broad- 
ened in  its  aims  and  improved  in  its  meth- 
ods and  results.  Forever  free  from  sec- 
tarianism, our  schools  must  make  luminous 
to  the  eye  of  the  young  the  page  of  Amer- 
ican history,  so  that  even  the  child  of  the 
most  recent  immigrant  may  early  learn 
that  he  has  become  a  citizen  of  no  mean 
country.  .  .  . 

104 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

"  In  this  high  service  let  there  be  a  gen- 
erous emulation  among  the  sister  States. 
Shall  our  own  dear  State  give  backward 
step  from  the  forefront  where  she  has  ever 
proudly  stood  in  all  the  long  years  since 
your  own  town  had  its  birth?  O  stern 
and  mighty  cliffs  that  guard  the  shores  of 
Massachusetts  Bay,  and  hurl  back  un- 
shaken the  surges  of  the  Atlantic!  O 
waving  forests  that  clothe  the  hills  and 
clasp  in  their  embrace  the  embosomed 
lakes!  O  broad  and  fair  domain  of  the 
old  Bay  State,  stretching  from  beautiful 
Berkshire  past  peaceful  village  and  pros- 
perous city  to  the  glistening  sands  of 
Barn  stable,  and  on  to  historic  Nantucket, 
nursed  on  ocean's  breast  !  —  thy  breed  of 
men  has  never  failed  thee  yet.  May  they 
continue  to  spring  from  thy  loins  as  we 
have  known  them  in  the  past,  sturdy,  vir- 
tuous, and  heroic.  So  for  all  time  may 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

the  prayer  go  up,  not  in  cringing  terror 
nor  pusillanimous  supplication,  but  in  the 
full,  strong  voice  of  manly  self-reliance, 
*  God  save  the  Commonwealth  of  Massa- 
chusetts.' ' 

Whether  in  some  distant  city  on  Fore- 
fathers' Day,  or  at  the  dinner  of  a  press 
club,  or  a  newsboys'  association,  at  a  school 
graduation,  or  a  cattle  show,  or  a  board  of 
trade,  he  always  had  some  appropriate 
thought  in  mind,  or  some  practical  truth 
to  press  home.  For  instance,  to  the  Good 
Citizens'  Club  he  said :  — 

"  Public  spirit  is  almost  the  first  of  civic 
virtues.  Apathy  and  indifference  to  the 
common  weal  are  almost  crimes.  Here 
in  America  no  citizen  can  wash  his  hands 
of  his  country.  He  must  either  make  it 
better,  or  he  will  probably  make  it  worse. 
In  religion,  in  education,  and  in  charity - 
in  one  or  all  of  these  beneficent  agencies 
1 06 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

—  he  can  do  much  to  extend  their  scope 
and  to  strengthen  their  influence. 

"  In  politics  his  duty  is  plain  and  urgent. 
The  man  who  habitually  neglects  to  vote 
is  a  shirk  and  a  renegade.  Here  it  is  un- 
happily not  true  that  we  have  reached  our 
best  either  in  men  or  in  methods.  I  care 
little  what  a  man's  opinions  may  be,  if  he 
has  formed  them  intelligently  and  ad- 
vances them  honorably.  Rancorous  and 
unfair  vituperation  of  political  opponents, 
I  believe,  always  wins  sympathy  and,  con- 
sequently, votes  for  the  individual  or  party 
so  attacked.  If  in  all  political  contentions 
we  remember  that  we  are  first  Americans 
and  only  secondarily  Republicans  or  Dem- 
ocrats, we  shall  not  be  in  danger  of  sinking 
patriotism  in  partisanship." 

At  Lexington  he  appealed  to  local  sen- 
timent: — 

"The  lesson  cannot  be  repeated  too 
107 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

i 

often  that  it  is  not  the  mere  congregation 
of  population,  it  is  not  abundant  pros- 
perity, that  makes  a  nation,  a  city,  or  a 
town  truly  great.  There  are  spots  here 
and  there  throughout  the  world  where  the 
mind  is  inspired,  where  the  heart  is  made 
to  beat  with  a  quicker  pulse  before  the  eye 
is  inspired  with  a  vision  of  a  noble  popu- 
lation or  new  wealth.  I  think  a  lesson 
that  we  of  this  present  generation  must 
strive  to  repeat  is  this  lesson  of  patriotism 
—  of  the  loyalty,  heroism,  hardships  en- 
dured, and  the  results  achieved  by  the 
men  who  perpetuated  the  foundations  of 
this  nation." 

At  the  Lincoln  Republican  Club  he 
treated  of  the  relations  of  the  State  to  cor- 
porations :  — 

"  I  think  that  the  legislation  of  the  Com- 
monwealth of  Massachusetts,  so  far  as 
regards  the  control  of  these  corporations, 
1 08 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

will  be  found  to  be  progressively  in  one 
direction;  that  is,  that  without  imposing 
on  them  such  shackles  as  shall  discourage 
the  investment  of  capital  for  an  honest  and 
reasonable  return,  and  drive  that  capital 
to  seek  investment  beyond  our  Common- 
wealth, the  legislation  of  Massachusetts  is 
progressively  in  the  direction  of  exacting 
from  these  corporations  a  full  and  abun- 
dant equivalent  for  the  great  rights  and 
privileges  that  are  accorded  them." 

At  a  Republican  club  dinner  he  said :  — 

"  The  only  permanent  safeguard  for  the 
honesty  of  our  legislators  is  the  character 
of  the  men  whom  the  several  constituen- 
cies select.  To  that  let  us  all,  of  whatever 
party,  pledge  ourselves." 

In  speaking  at  the  New  England  Society 
in  Philadelphia  on  Forefathers'  Day,  1897, 
he  said :  — 

"  It  is  a  poor  and  careless  optimism 
109 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

which  would  close  its  eye  to  evils  in  our 
body  politic  and  in  society,  which  those 
sturdy  men  of  the  earlier  time  would 
have  cut  out,  though  the  surgery  might  be 
grim  and  pitiless.  It  is  a  weak  and  impo- 
tent cynicism,  which  had  no  place  in  their 
conception  of  public  duty,  that  seeing  those 
evils  would  succumb  to  their  dominance 
in  indifference  or  despair.  As  in  the  past, 
so  in  the  future,  may  the  Republic  never 
lack  in  her  sons  something  of  the  indom- 
itable spirit  of  the  Puritan,  his  fidelity  to 
conscience  and  to  duty,  his  faith  in  God 
and  in  man,  his  stern  righteousness  and 
downright  honesty  —  for  of  such  qualities 
are  made  up  brave  manhood  and  loyal 
citizenship." 

In  the   midsummer  there   was  pitched 
a  great  tent  on   Boston  Common  for  the 
convention  of  the  Christian  Endeavor  So- 
ciety.   Some  ten  thousand  people  gathered 
no 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

within  and  outside  its  curtains  to  hear  the 
opening  address  of  the  lieutenant-gov- 
ernor of  the  Commonwealth.  The  air  was 
electric  with  religious  and  patriotic  emo- 
tion. The  strangers  were  captured  first  by 
the  bearing  of  Mr.  Wolcott  as  he  stood 
to  speak;  then  as  he  kindled  in  response, 
and  spoke  with  fervor,  directness,  and 
power,  the  whole  audience  arose  and 
cheered  to  the  echo. 

"  Christian  Endeavor  !  I  know  of  no 
two  words  in  the  English  language  that 
are  more  freighted  with  deep  significance. 
The  spirit  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ, 
the  spirit  which  finds  its  truest  expression 
in  the  mandate,  'Do  unto  others  as  ye 
would  that  they  should  do  unto  you,'  that 
divine  spirit,  inspired  and  put  into  active 
operation  by  the  noble  endeavor  and  ear- 
nest effort  of  men :  I  know  of  no  title  that 
you  could  have  chosen  that  could  be  more 
in 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

heavily  weighted  with  blessing  and  divine 
inspiration  than  those  two  words." 

The  speech  made  a  profound  impression 
on  the  multitude;  the  secret  of  the  power 
was  not  so  much,  however,  in  the  speech 
as  in  the  revelation  of  the  man,  a  high 
official,  and,  at  the  same  time,  so  simple, 
so  direct,  so  transfigured  with  the  spirit  of 
Christian  service. 

Now  and  again  we  catch  the  refrain  that 
was  his  constant  inspiration,  the  memory 
of  his  brother  Huntington. 

Memorial  Day  was  to  him  full  of  sacred 
associations.  As  he  spoke  at  the  Wolcott 
Post  on  that  day,  in  1895,  he  said:  — 

"  Historians  have  drawn  attention  to 
the  surprising  youth  of  most  of  those 
brave  and  far-seeing  men  who  were  the 
signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence. Youth  saw  more  clearly  and  dared 
more  than  age.  In  like  manner,  as  we 

112 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

read  the  story  of  the  heroes  of  '61,  we  are 
amazed  to  note  how  many  of  them  had 
lived  long  lives  of  achievement,  of  suffer- 
ing, and  of  responsibility  before  they  were 
twenty-five.  In  that  fierce  fire  of  experi- 
ence the  dross  was  burned  away:  boys 
became  men,  and  men  became  heroes.  .  .  . 
Such  was  he  whose  name  your  Post  bears. 
It  was  no  mere  love  of  adventure,  no 
boyish  impulse  which  claimed  his  young 
life.  It  was  rather  that  deliberate,  firm 
resolve  which,  from  century  to  century, 
has  taken  possession  of  men  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  race,  and  has  led  them  to  say, i  This 
thing  is  worth  fighting  for,  and  by  God's 
blessing  we  will  win  it; '  and  when  they 
have  said  this,  whether  at  Runnymede,  or 
Marston  Moor,  or  Bunker  Hill,  or  Gettys- 
burg, they  are  irresistible.  He  had  counted 
the  cost  and  was  ready  to  pay  it.  And  so 
he  died  at  a  little  over  nineteen  years, 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

high-minded,  pure,  and  fearless,  a  willing 
sacrifice  to  country  and  humanity." 

On  the  5th  of  March,  1896,  Governor 
Greenhalge  died,  and,  on  the  next  day, 
the  lieutenant-governor,  having  formally 
announced  his  death  to  the  legislature, 
assumed  the  duties  of  governor.  It  is  an 
interesting  coincidence  that,  just  a  century 
before,  in  the  year  1796,  Oliver  Wolcott, 
then  lieutenant-governor  of  Connecticut, 
announced  to  President  Washington  that, 
in  consequence  of  the  death  of  Governor 
Samuel  Huntington,  he  had  entered  upon 
the  duties  of  the  office  of  governor. 

Mr.  Wolcott's  association  with  Gov- 
ernor Greenhalge  had  been  so  close  and 
harmonious  that  it  was  easy  for  him  to 
take  up  the  details  of  administration.  One 
bill  before  the  legislature,  giving  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Pipe  Line  Company  power  to 
make  and  distribute  gas,  had  attracted 
114 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

much  public  notice.  Attention  was  called 
by  a  part  of  the  press  to  the  fact  that  ex- 
traordinary and  unsafe  powers  were  to  be 
granted  by  the  State.  Nevertheless,  the 
bill  passed  the  legislature.  It  promised 
cheaper  gas,  and  was  supported  by  strong 
influence.  In  returning  it  with  his  veto, 
the  acting  governor  pointed  out  the  re- 
markable privileges  granted,  the  injustice 
of  the  provisions  of  the  bill  towards  towns, 
cities,  and  citizens,  and  the  lack  of  power 
on  the  part  of  the  State  to  enforce  the 
promises  of  the  promoters.  He  said :  — 

"  Experience  has  demonstrated  that  un- 
restricted competition  by  public-service 
corporations,  although  the  temporary  re- 
sults may  make  cheaper  prices  to  the  pub- 
lic, seldom  accomplishes  any  permanent 
good.  The  public  must  eventually  pay 
the  bills. 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

"  I  can  see  no  permanent  advantage  to 
the  community  in  arming  this  company 
with  a  club,  by  which  it  may  strike  down 
those  already  in  the  field.  Temporarily 
it  may  cheapen  prices;  indeed,  it  must  do 
so,  or  promise  to  do  so,  that  it  may  strike 
them  down ;  but  the  history  of  such  com- 
petition demonstrates  that  it  is  the  public 
that  suffers.  .  .  . 

"  In  my  opinion,  it  is  not  justice  to 
vested  rights,  nor  sound  business  policy, 
nor  for  the  interests  of  the  public,  to  au- 
thorize the  discriminations  which  this  bill 
proposes  to  establish,  especially  without 
assurance  by  actual  demonstration  or  suf- 
ficient guarantee  that  the  public  bene- 
fit which  could  alone  justify  them  must 
ensue." 

He  suggested  certain  changes  which 
would  make  the  bill  safe  and  just.  His 
veto  was  sustained,  his  suggestions  were 
116 


LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR 

adopted,   and    the    bill    was   passed   and 
signed. 

The  people  again  recognized  in  Mr. 
Wolcott  a  wise  and  just  official,  alert  to 
protect  their  rights. 


117 


CHAPTER    VI 

GOVERNOR 

JN  the  summer  of  1896,  the 
presidential  election  was  ap- 
proaching. There  was  a  great 
contrast  between  the  situation 
then  and  in  1892,  when  Mr.  Wolcott  was 
elected  lieutenant-governor  to  Governor 
Russell. 

During  his  second  term,  Mr.  Cleveland 
had   been   unable   to   hold  his    party  to- 
gether; the  hard  times  had  developed  the 
forces   of   silver   and  populism.     On  the 
other  hand,  better  financial  prospects  had 
given  courage  to  the  advocates  of  gold. 
The    Republican   party  went   into   the 
118 


GOVERNOR 

campaign  pledged  to  gold,  with  Mr.  Mc- 
Kinley,  of  the  Middle  West,  whose  name 
was  associated  with  high  tariff,  as  the 
presidential  candidate.  The  Democrats 
by  their  action  made  the  issue  clear.  They 
selected  Mr.  Bryan,  the  champion  of  sil- 
ver, as  their  standard-bearer,  and  in  addi- 
tion to  the  silver  plank  put  into  their 
platform  resolutions  upon  the  Supreme 
Court  and  the  constitutional  power  of  the 
executive  that  shocked  the  country  and 
caused  a  recoil  against  populism.  It  was 
one  of  the  critical  elections  in  the  national 
history.  The  campaign  was  fortunately 
marked  by  very  little  vituperation,  and  by 
much  reasonable  and  intelligent  discus- 
sion. In  Massachusetts,  the  Republicans 
were  sure  to  win:  the  question  was  by 
how  great  a  majority. 

Mr.  Wolcott,  who  had  filled  the  office 
of  lieutenant-governor  so  acceptably,  was 
119 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

unanimously  nominated  for  governor,  and 
took  an  active  part  in  the  campaign. 

"  I  believe,"  he  said,  at  a  ratification 
meeting,  "  that  in  this  great  struggle  which 
confronts  us  now,  there  will  be  thousands 
of  honor-Democrats  who  will  refuse  to  im- 
peril the  financial  honor  of  the  United 
States,  to  follow  the  motley  crowd  that 
has  led  the  way  into  the  Cave  of  Adul- 
lam." 

The  title  "  honor  -  Democrats  "  went 
through  the  press  of  the  country. 

Upon  his  acceptance  of  the  nomination 
at  the  state  convention,  he  appealed  to 
all  citizens  of  Massachusetts  by  the  honor- 
able record  of  the  State. 

"  I  should  like,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  to 
take  only  a  moment  of  your  time  to  re- 
hearse to  you  a  little  of  the  history  of  the 
Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts.  I  wish 
the  Republicans  and  the  Democrats  alike 

120 


GOVERNOR 

of  Massachusetts  to  know  what  has  been 
the  position  of  this  Commonwealth  as  re- 
gards meeting  every  obligation  with  the 
highest  and  most  complete  honor.  During 
the  years  between  the  suspension  of  specie 
payments  and  the  resumption  of  specie 
payments,  in  the  years  between  1862  and 
1879,  all  the  debt  of  the  Commonwealth 
contracted  previous  to,  and  paid  during 
that  period,  was  made  payable  in  dollars 
simply,  and  by  the  Legal  Tender  Act  might 
have  been  paid  legally  and  without  ques- 
tion in  greenbacks.  The  Commonwealth 
of  Massachusetts  declined  to  avail  herself 
of  this  advantage.  The  debt  of  Massa- 
chusetts was  paid  in  gold.  It  amounted 
to  $5,924,000.  And  adding  the  war  loan 
of  $3,505,000,  which  was  made  payable 
in  lawful  money  of  the  United  States,  we 
have  a  total  of  $9,429,000  voluntarily  paid 
in  gold,  when  it  might  legally  have  been 

121 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

paid  in  greenbacks.  Not  only  that,  gen- 
tlemen, but  of  the  foregoing  debt,  nearly 
one  million  dollars  was  issued  by  the 
Commonwealth  in  aid  of  domestic  cor- 
porations, they  agreeing  to  pay  interest  as 
it  became  due,  and  the  principal  at  its 
maturity;  but  they,  availing  themselves  of 
their  technical  agreement,  in  which  they 
were  sustained  by  the  courts  of  Massa- 
chusetts, paid  to  the  Commonwealth  cur- 
rency only,  while  the  Commonwealth  in 
all  her  obligations  paid  principal  and  in- 
terest in  gold.  How  much  did  it  cost  the 
Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  to  pre- 
serve her  honor?  The  premium  alone 
paid  in  the  purchase  of  gold  to  meet  these 
obligations  amounted  to  $3,703,556. 

"  So  much  did  our  fathers  pay  to  pre- 
serve the  honor  of  the  Commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts;  and  I  venture  to  say  that 
no  expenditure  ever  made  by  this  Com- 

122 


GOVERNOR 

monwealth  was  more  wise  and  more  far- 
seeing  than  that  expenditure  that  I  have 
referred  to." 

The  success  of  the  Republicans  was  be- 
yond all  expectations.  In  Massachusetts, 
Mr.  Wolcott,  leading  the  ticket,  swept 
every  city  and  town  (except  one)  in  the 
State.  He  was  elected  by  a  much  greater 
majority  than  that  ever  before  given  to  a 
governor  of  Massachusetts.  His  vote  was 
258,204.  The  vote  for  all  other  candi- 
dates was  126,860.  His  native  city  of 
Boston,  which  had  gone  Democratic  for 
years,  gave  him  a  great  majority.  This 
result  was  not  only  a  victory  for  party 
and  principle,  but  was  also  a  personal  trib- 
ute and  an  expression  of  confidence  in 
his  past  administration. 

During  the  next  three  years,  Mr.  Wol- 
cott gave  himself  with  characteristic  devo- 
tion and  conscientiousness  to  the  duties  of 
123 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

his  high  office.  Apart  from  the  war  with 
Spain,  there  were  no  exceptional  incidents, 
no  radical  reforms  or  marked  movements: 
none  were  called  for.  There  were,  how- 
ever, improvements  made  at  several  points, 
especially  in  the  care  of  the  insane,  and 
the  administration  of  the  public  institu- 
tions. 

With  the  development  of  the  Common- 
wealth, the  tendency  to  centralization,  and 
the  increasing  power  and  responsibility 
of  the  executive,  the  office  of  governor 
becomes  more  and  more  important,  labori- 
ous, and  intricate.  Many  interests  come 
to  the  State  House,  such  as  insurance, 
water,  sewerage,  police,  railroads,  trolley 
lines,  municipal  government,  and  parks, 
which  were  almost  unknown  there  a  gen- 
eration ago.  The  business  interests  are 
large. 

In  fact,  the  real  work  of  the  governor 
124 


GOVERNOR 

is  chiefly  that  of  which  the  people  hear 
nothing,  —  the  routine  of  administration, 
the  conferences  in  the  executive  cham- 
ber, the  careful  selection  of  state  officers, 
and  the  adjustment  of  the  different  de- 
partments whereby  friction  is  avoided 
and  the  whole  administration  made  to  run 
smoothly. 

There  are,  however,  certain  acts  or  in- 
cidents, sometimes  unimportant  in  them- 
selves, of  a  personal  kind  which  catch  the 
public  eye,  and  are  really  important  on 
account  of  the  weight  that  is  given  them 
by  the  people. 

We  will  glance  over  the  record  of  the 
three  'years,  first  as  it  caught  the  people's 
attention. 

The  day  of  Governor  Wolcott's  inaugu- 
ration was  brilliant  without  and  within  the 
State  House.  There  was  that  about  him 
which  always  interested  the  people  in  his 
"5 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

official  acts.  By  his  dignity  and  grace  he 
gave  distinction  to  a  function  of  which  he 
was  the  centre.  The  hall  of  the  House,  in 
which  the  whole  general  court,  the  justices 
and  other  officers  of  the  Commonwealth 
were  gathered,  was  unusually  crowded: 
the  galleries  were  bright  with  the  company 
of  ladies.  His  mother,  wife,  and  five  chil- 
dren, his  college  classmates  and  friends 
were  there.  It  was  a  day  of  reasonable 
joy  and  pride  to  the  governor.  His  studies 
of  Massachusetts  history  had  given  him  a 
high  conception  of  the  office;  his  ances- 
tors had  graced  the  same  position  in  Con- 
necticut. The  name  of  Roger  Wolcott 
was  already  historic  in  the  annals  of  New 
England.  No  other  motive  had  brought 
him  there  than  a  desire  to  serve  the 
people;  he  had  come  by  no  other  path 
than  that  through  which  his  own  con- 
science and  high  ideals  had  led  him.  He 
126 


GOVERNOR 

had  served  the  State  as  a  private  citizen 
and  in  various  offices;  now  the  people  who 
knew  him  had  placed  him  there  by  the 
greatest  vote  ever  given  to  a  governor  of 
Massachusetts.  His  satisfaction  was  none 
other  than  that  which  comes  to  any  honor- 
able public  officer,  but  there  was  in  the 
minds  of  all  present  something  peculiarly 
happy,  fortunate,  and  brilliant  in  the  life 
of  Roger  Wolcott. 

His  first  inaugural  message,  as  were  his 
later  ones,  was  businesslike,  direct,  and 
clear.  As  a  Democratic  paper  said  the 
next  day,  there  was  "  not  a  whisper  of 
party  politics." 

He  called  attention  to  the  increase  of 
the  state  debt,  and  even  though  more 
prosperous  times  were  at  hand,  asked  for 
care  in  expenditure;  he  noted  and  ap- 
proved the  tendency  towards  consolida- 
tion of  interests  in  the  metropolitan  dis- 
127 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

trict  of  Boston;  he  urged  restriction  in  the 
number  of  liquor  saloons. 

He  pressed  the  point  that  street  railways 
should  pay  for  their  franchises,  but  that  in 
return  the  rights  of  the  corporation  should 
be  made  secure.  He  closed  with  the 
warning,  "  The  volume  of  legislation  is  a 
poor  criterion  of  its  necessity  or  wisdom." 

The  reference  to  the  limitation  of 
licensed  saloons  suggests  a  subject  which 
caused  him  much  thought.  The  police 
commissioners  of  the  city  of  Boston,  who 
are  responsible  for  the  licensing  of  saloons, 
are  appointed  by  the  governor.  It  was  a 
general  characteristic  of  Mr.  Wolcott  that, 
when  he  had  once  approved  a  commission 
or  appointed  men  to  official  positions,  he 
would  leave  them  free  and  thus  hold  them 
responsible  for  the  efficient  conduct  of 
their  office.  It  required  much  time  and 
evidence  to  convince  him  that  the  condi- 
128 


GOVERNOR 

tions  were  such  that  he  should  interfere; 
but  when  he  was  convinced  he  never 
shirked  the  responsibility,  but  himself  took 
hold  and  made  his  position  clear. 

In  the  granting  of  licenses  there  is  al- 
ways room  for  high-minded  and  efficient 
officers  to  disagree  as  to  the  wisdom  of  this 
or  that  action  or  as  to  the  interpretation  of 
the  law.  Governor  Wolcott  was  convinced 
not  only  that  the  people  of  Boston  wanted 
a  strict  enforcement  of  the  laws,  but  also 
that  in  certain  districts  they  wished  no 
saloons.  He  did  not  think  that  because  of 
this,  saloons  should  be  multiplied  in  other 
districts,  especially  among  the  poor.  He 
had  occasion,  therefore,  publicly  to  call  the 
attention  of  the  commission  to  these  points 
several  times  in  strong  terms. 

In  the  winter  of  1897  rumors  appeared 
in  the  papers  against  the  official  integrity 
of  the  chairman  of  the  board;  even  formal 
129 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

charges  were  made  that  he  had  had  such 
business  relations  with  liquor  dealers  as  to 
compromise  his  official  influence  if  not  his 
honesty. 

The  chairman  had  been  a  gallant  gen- 
eral in  the  war,  a  mayor  of  Boston,  and 
had  shown  himself  active  and  efficient  in 
the  enforcement  of  the  laws.  The  charges 
were  such  and  the  evidence  so  strong  as 
to  warrant  the  governor  in  asking  imme- 
diately for  his  resignation  on  the  ground 
that  his  official  usefulness  was  gone.  Many 
wise  friends  of  the  governor  felt  that  he 
ought  to  take  sharp  action,  and  many  citi- 
zens thought  it  weak  and  injurious  to 
public  morals  for  him  to  delay. 

In  his  action  here  Mr.  Wolcott  showed 
the  judicial  temper  so  characteristic  of 
him.  Although  he  could  think  quickly  on 
his  feet,  he  was  slow  in  his  decision  of 
knotty  questions.  He  gave  each  point 
130 


GOVERNOR 

careful  consideration.  Such  an  attitude 
suggested  to  some  minds  weakness  and 
indecision.  At  times  he  seemed  to  be 
over-conscientious,  too  ready  to  look  on 
all  sides,  and  too  judicial  for  strong  lead- 
ership. Mr.  Wolcott  appreciated  the  high 
character  that  the  chairman  had  hitherto 
borne,  he  knew  that  a  great  many  people 
still  trusted  him,  that  he  was  also  a  pro- 
minent Democrat;  above  all  he  felt  that 
the  chairman,  even  though  his  official  influ- 
ence was  gone,  had  a  right  to  be  heard 
and  to  meet  his  accusers.  The  result  was 
a  long  and  painful  hearing.  The  gov- 
ernor, having  looked  upon  all  sides,  made 
his  own  decision,  wrote  it  with  great  care 
and  exactness  with  his  own  hand,  and  on 
the  evidence  given  by  the  chairman  him- 
self, recommended  his  removal.  The  pop- 
ular sympathy  for  the  chairman  was  so 
strong  that  Mr.  Wolcott  in  preparing  his 
13* 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

verdict  believed  that  it  would  meet  with 
general  disapproval.  As  he  handed  the 
paper  to  his  wife  when  he  had  written  the 
last  word,  he  said,  "  Do  you  want  to  see 
my  political  death-warrant  ?  " 

The  council  refused  to  concur.  The 
chairman  remained  in  office  to  the  end  of 
his  term.  The  governor  had,  however, 
by  his  action  escaped  the  charge  of  injus- 
tice, and  had  shown  himself  wise  and 
appreciative  of  the  dignity  of  public  office, 
and  the  sober  second  thought  of  the  peo- 
ple, enforced  by  the  cogency  of  Mr.  Wol- 
cott's  reasoning,  affirmed  the  justice  of  his 
cause. 

The  refusal  of  the  council  to  concur 
prompted  some  members  of  the  legislature 
to  present  a  bill  giving  the  governor  abso- 
lute power  of  removal  of  police  commis- 
sioners. Mr.  Wolcott,  however,  said  pub- 
licly :  — 

132 


GOVERNOR 

"  I  have  in  many  speeches  expressed 
my  high  appreciation  of  the  usefulness  of 
the  executive  council,  and  my  belief  that 
it  should  be  retained  as  an  important  and 
valuable  portion  of  our  constitutional  gov- 
ernment. 

"  I  believe  fully  in  the  requirement  that 
nominations  made  by  the  governor  shall 
receive  the  consent  of  the  council. 

"  I  have  many  times  said  in  public  that 
in  the  matter  of  removals  there  is  in  my 
mind  more  doubt.  The  tendency  in  the 
more  recent  municipal  charters  is  to  give 
the  sole  power  of  removal  to  the  mayor, 
and  I  think  the  governors  of  Massachu- 
setts can  be  as  safely  intrusted  with  this 
power  as  the  mayors  of  her  cities. 

"There  are  both  advantages  and  disad- 
vantages likely  to  follow  such  absolute 
power  of  removal,  and,  in  my  opinion, 
these  should  be  deliberately  and  carefully 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

weighed  by  the  legislature  at  some  other 
time  than  the  closing  weeks  of  the  legisla- 
tive session,  and  when  their  action  may 
embody  principles  and  not  be  due  to  the 
exigency  of  an  individual  case." 

He  illustrated  his  sensitiveness  to  offi- 
cial dignity  again  in  publicly  rebuking  a 
state  commission  for  allowing  their  em- 
ployees to  lobby  against  a  bill  which  would 
withdraw  some  powers  from  the  commis- 
sion. The  talk  of  the  papers  about  "  irre- 
sponsible commissions  "  ceased  during  the 
official  term  of  Governor  Wolcott. 

After  the  death  of  Governor  Green- 
halge,  Mr.  Wolcott  was  enabled  for  a  time 
to  escape  many  of  the  public  functions  and 
social  events  which  draw  upon  an  official's 
strength.  As  time  passed,  these  engage- 
ments increased.  The  routine  of  his  office 
occupied  the  day,  the  evenings  were  often 
spent  in  public  engagements,  or,  as  the 


GOVERNOR 

close  of  the  legislative  session  drew  near, 
at  work  upon  official  business. 

A  few  historic  incidents,  however,  re- 
lieved the  monotony  and  again  enabled 
the  people  to  recognize  the  brilliant  per- 
sonality of  the  governor. 

At  the  dedication  of  Grant's  tomb  in 
New  York  in  April,  1897,  the  great  pro- 
cession included  the  civil  and  military 
representatives  of  the  States.  It  was  a 
bitter  day,  and  the  wind  swept  down  the 
Hudson.  Those  who  saw  Governor  Wol- 
cott  will  never  forget  the  sight.  Well 
mounted,  dressed  with  the  severe  simpli- 
city of  the  governor  of  Massachusetts,  —  a 
black  frock  coat  and  tall  hat,  —  with  no  gilt 
or  gay  caparison  to  call  attention  to  him 
or  to  detract  from  his  radiant  beauty,  he 
sat  in  the  saddle  for  hours  in  that  bitter 
wind,  waiting  the  command  to  move. 
Then,  as  he  and  his  staff  swept  up  the 
'35 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

avenue  and  broke  from  the  rolling  cloud 
of  dust  into  the  sight  of  the  people,  the 
flash  of  his  white  hair,  the  flush  of  his 
face,  and  the  brilliancy  of  the  whole  man 
moved  the  multitude,  and  there  burst  forth 
such  a  shout  as  would  in  other  ages  have 
welcomed  home  a  Crusader.  For  to  the 
people,  even  those  who  knew  not  his  name 
or  office,  he  seemed  to  represent  the 
beauty  and  glory  of  the  knighthood  of 
America. 

On  the  26th  of  May  an  interesting  his- 
toric scene  was  enacted  at  the  State 
House.  The  officials  of  the  Common- 
wealth, with  the  senate  and  house,  met 
in  the  hall  of  representatives.  At  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Bayard,  late  ambassador  to 
England,  the  governor  received  the  origi- 
nal manuscript  of  "  The  Log  of  the  May- 
flower," which,  at  the  time  of  the  Revo- 
lution, had  mysteriously  disappeared  from 
136 


GOVERNOR 

the  Old  South  Meeting  House, — a  manu- 
script which,  fifty  years  later,  had  been 
discovered  in  the  library  of  Fulham  Palace, 
London,  and  which,  by  the  courtesy  of  the 
Bishop  of  London,  was  hereafter  to  rest 
in  the  capitol  of  the  Old  Bay  State.  Gov- 
ernor Wolcott  said :  — 

"  There  are  places  and  objects  so  inti- 
mately associated  with  the  world's  great- 
est men,  or  with  mighty  deeds,  that  the 
soul  of  him  who  gazes  upon  them  is  lost 
in  a  sense  of  reverent  awe,  as  it  listens  to 
the  voice  that  speaks  from  the  past  in 
words  like  those  which  came  from  the 
burning  bush :  i  Put  off  thy  shoes  from  off 
thy  feet,  for  the  place  whereon  thou  stand- 
est  is  holy  ground.' 

"  On  the  sloping  hillside  of  Plymouth, 
that  bathes  its  feet  in  the  waters  of  the 
Atlantic,  such  a  voice  is  breathed  by  the 
brooding  genius  of  the  place,  and  the  ear 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

must  be  dull  that  fails  to  catch  the  whis- 
pered words.  For  here  not  alone  did 
godly  men  and  women  suffer  greatly  for  a 
great  cause,  but  their  noble  purpose  was 
not  doomed  to  defeat,  but  was  carried  to 
perfect  victory.  They  established  what 
they  planned.  Their  feeble  plantation  be- 
came the  birthplace  of  religious  liberty, 
the  cradle  of  a  free  Commonwealth.  To 
them  a  mighty  nation  owns  its  debt.  Nay, 
they  have  made  the  civilized  world  their 
debtor.  In  the  varied  tapestry  which  pic- 
tures our  national  life,  the  richest  spots 
are  those  where  gleam  the  golden  threads 
of  conscience,  courage,  and  faith,  set  in  the 
web  by  that  little  band.  May  God  in  his 
mercy  grant  that  the  moral  impulse  which 
founded  this  nation  may  never  cease  to 
control  its  destiny;  that  no  act  of  any 
future  generation  may  put  in  peril  the 
fundamental  principles  on  which  it  is 
138 


GOVERNOR 

based,  —  of  equal  rights  in  a  free  state, 
equal  privileges  in  a  free  church,  and  equal 
opportunities  in  a  free  school. 

"  In  this  precious  volume  which  I  hold 
in  my  hands  —  the  gift  of  England  to  the 
Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  —  is  told 
the  noble,  simple  story  '  of  Plimoth  Plan- 
tation.' In  the  midst  of  suffering  and  pri- 
vation and  anxiety,  the  pious  hand  of 
William  Bradford  here  set  down  in  ample 
detail  the  history  of  the  enterprise  from 
its  inception  to  the  year  1647.  From  him 
we  may  learn  that  '  all  great  and  honour- 
able actions  are  accompanied  with  great 
difficulties,  and  must  be  both  enterprised 
and  overcome  with  answerable  cour- 
ages.' ': 

Five  days  later  was  unveiled  the  mon- 
ument to  Colonel  Robert  Gould  Shaw. 
Standing  as  it  does,  a  noble  work  of  art, 
opposite  the  State  House,  from  the  steps 


ROGER  WOLCOTT, 

of  which  Governor  Andrew  reviewed  the 
colored  regiment  as  it  passed,  and  repre- 
senting a  crisis  in  the  history  of  civiliza- 
tion, its  unveiling  was  worthy  of  honor. 
In  the  procession  were  the  officials  of  the 
State,  the  militia,  the  veterans  of  the  Civil 
War,  past  members  of  Shaw's  regiment, 
led  by  his  lieutenant-colonel,  and  includ- 
ing the  color-sergeant  who  carried  the 
flag  at  Fort  Wagner.  In  the  Music  Hall 
the  governor  represented  the  Common- 
wealth, and  as  presiding  officer  said :  — 

"  We  are  here  to  commemorate  not  only 
a  gallant,  noble  death,  not  alone  the  gallant 
deaths  of  those  who  fell  side  by  side  with 
Colonel  Robert  Gould  Shaw,  but  an  epoch 
in  the  history  of  a  race.  On  the  blood- 
stained earthworks  at  Fort  Wagner,  a 
race  was  called  into  manhood." 

The  centennial  celebration  of  the  erec- 
tion of  the  State  House  had  peculiar  inter- 
140 


GOVERNOR 

est,  for  at  that  time  was  rededicated  the 
Bulfinch  front. 

The  commission  having  in  charge  the 
extension  of  the  State  House  had  recom- 
mended that  the  whole  building,  the  dome 
and  facade,  be  demolished,  and  that  a  fire- 
proof building  be  erected  conforming  with 
the  architecture  of  the  extension.  This 
aroused  the  sentiment  of  a  great  many 
citizens.  Active  work  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  Bulfinch  front  was  undertaken. 
The  legislature  was  convinced  that  it 
could  be  made  fireproof,  and  a  bill  was 
passed  to  carry  out  the  plan.  The  work 
was  completed,  and  one  hundred  years 
from  the  time  of  its  erection,  the  Bulfinch 
front  assumed  within  and  without  its  ori- 
ginal form.  The  officers  of  the  State  met 
with  the  legislature,  and  the  governor  ad- 
dressed them  as  follows :  — 

"  We  are  met  in  joint  assemblage  of 
141 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

the  two  branches  of  the  General  Court, 
and  in  the  presence  of  the  governor  and 
council,  to  rededicate  to  the  public  use 
of  the  Commonwealth  the  stately  and 
beautiful  edifice  which  was,  one  hundred 
years  ago,  in  the  eloquent  words  of  Gov- 
ernor Sumner,  dedicated  to  the  honor, 
freedom,  independence,  and  security  of 
our  country.  Since  then  it  has  been  the 
State  House  of  the  Commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts. 

"  Its  walls  have  resounded  to  the  tread, 
and  have  echoed  the  words  of  statesmen, 
soldiers,  jurists,  and  men  of  affairs,  who 
have  had  their  share  in  the  fame  of  the 
Commonwealth.  Here  have  been  enacted 
the  laws  which  have  made  Massachusetts 
an  example  and  a  leader  to  the  other  States 
of  the  Union.  Whatsoever  pride  its  peo- 
ple may  feel  in  their  citizenship,  in  large 
measure  finds  its  source  within  these 
142 


GOVERNOR 

halls.  For  a  century  this  building  has 
symbolized  the  dignity  and  majesty  of  the 
Commonwealth. 

"  Its  cornerstone  was  laid  by  Samuel 
Adams,  the  great  popular  leader  of  the 
Revolutionary  period,  and  by  Paul  Revere, 
skillful  mechanic  and  immortal  patriot. 
Its  design  was  the  work  of  Charles  Bui- 
finch,  the  foremost  architect  of  his  time 
in  America,  and  it  stands  to-day  his  most 
worthy  monument. 

"Either  as  an  owner  of  the  site,  or  as 
official  occupants  of  the  structure,  every 
one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  from  the  colony  of  Massa- 
chusetts Bay  held  close  relation  with  this 
building.  Here  presidents  of  the  United 
States,  from  James  Monroe  to  Ulysses  S. 
Grant,  have  been  received  and  entertained 
with  the  honor  due  their  exalted  office, 
and  the  character  and  achievement  which 
143 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

they  brought  to  the  performance  of  its  ar- 
duous duties.  Here  Webster  has  spoken, 
and  Everett  and  Choate  and  Sumner,  and 
many  another  with  lesser  fame  who  yet 
has  deserved  well  of  the  Republic.  Here, 
in  honored  death,  lay  a  vice-president  of 
the  United  States,  and  a  senator  of  the 
Commonwealth  who  had  dared  and  suf- 
fered in  her  cause.  Here  have  acted  and 
labored  the  long  line  of  my  predecessors 
in  office,  who  have  made  the  title  of  gov- 
ernor of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massa- 
chusetts one  of  the  most  honored  in  the 
nation.  Here  John  A.  Andrew  gave  his 
heart's  blood  to  the  cause  of  union  and 
nationality.  From  yonder  steps  have 
marched  to  death  or  victory  the  gallant 
youth  of  the  State,  ready  to  give  their 
lives  to  a  great  cause.  Here,  year  by 
year,  have  successive  legislatures  patiently 
wrought  to  embody  in  the  statutes  of  the 
144 


GOVERNOR 

Commonwealth  the  fundamental  principles 
laid  down  in  the  Constitution. 

"  These  halls  are  eloquent  with  the  pre- 
sence of  the  great  dead.  They  speak  to 
us  with  the  compelling  voice  of  the  past, 
and  bid  us  be  not  unworthy  of  the  trust 
it  has  imposed.  May  we  meet  the  pro- 
blems of  the  present  with  the  spirit  which 
inspired  our  fathers,  and  may  we  dedicate 
ourselves  anew  to  the  maintenance  of  a 
government  of  the  people,  by  the  people, 
and  for  the  people ;  so  may  God  bless 
us  of  this  generation  as  he  has  hitherto 
blessed  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachu- 
setts." 

At  the  Commencement  of  Williams  Col- 
lege, in  1897,  he  received  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Laws. 

As  the  year  closed  there  was  evident 
satisfaction  throughout  the  State  with  the 
administration.  The  Boston  "  Post "  ex- 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

pressed  the  feeling:  "Governor  Wolcott 
has  made  a  good  governor.  He  has  made 
a  pretty  good  governor  according  to  the 
Democratic  standards.  He  has  shown 
great  ability  and  fearlessness  in  standing 
by  the  interests  of  the  people  of  the  State." 

At  the  election  of  1897  Mr.  Wolcott, 
who  had  been  renominated,  received  the 
largest  majority  ever  given  a  governor  of 
Massachusetts,  except  his  own  the  year 
before,  and  he  again  carried  the  city  of 
Boston. 

The  war  with  Spain  so  engrossed  the 
attention  of  the  people  as  well  as  the  gov- 
ernor that  little  else  than  routine  work  in 
legislation  was  done. 

The  following  year  he  again  received  a 
heavy  plurality,  and  again  carried  Boston. 
As  it  is  a  tradition  that  a  governor  of 
Massachusetts  should  serve  only  three 
years,  Mr.  Wolcott's  love  for  Massachu- 
146 


GOVERNOR 

setts  prompted  him  to  break  through  the 
businesslike  character  of  his  inaugural  and 
close  with  these  words:  — 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  senate  and  house  of 
representatives:  ...  In  all  their  deliber- 
ations, and  in  all  their  official  acts,  the 
executive  and  the  legislature  alike  will  do 
well  to  remember  that  they  are  adding  to 
the  history  of  a  State  which,  for  more 
than  two  and  three-quarters  centuries,  has 
written  her  name  large  and  fair  on  the 
record  which  tells  of  lofty  aspiration  and 
honorable  citizenship.  During  this  length- 
ening period  the  Commonwealth  has  main- 
tained a  pure  and  learned  judiciary,  which 
has  administered  justice  without  discrimi- 
nation between  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the 
powerful  and  the  humble;  as  she  was  the 
first  to  acknowledge  the  duty  of  the  State 
freely  to  educate  all  her  children,  so  she 
has  ever  with  wise  liberality  promoted  the 
'47 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

general  diffusion  of  knowledge;  to  all  she 
has  extended  freedom  of  religious  belief 
and  the  equal  protection  of  her  laws  in 
the  public  worship  of  God;  in  war  her 
sons  have  never  failed  to  show  resolute 
purpose  and  unflinching  courage ;  in  peace 
her  statesmen  have  possessed  the  clear 
vision  which  reads  the  coming  future,  and 
her  citizens,  through  industry  and  enter- 
prise, have  attained  a  degree  of  general 
prosperity  scarcely  equaled  among  the 
peoples  of  the  earth;  her  homes  have  been 
virtuous,  her  people  contented ;  her  poets 
and  historians  have  made  honorable  the 
fame  of  American  letters;  her  inventions 
and  discoveries  have  aided  to  revolution- 
ize industry,  and  to  make  comfortable  the 
lives  of  those  who  toil;  from  generation 
to  generation  she  has  kept  aflame  a  beacon 
light  of  intelligence  and  high  purpose, 
which  has  carried  into  many  dark  places 
148 


GOVERNOR 

the  illumination  of  humanity  and  civiliza- 
tion. 

"  Such  is  the  Commonwealth  whose 
public  and  trusted  servants  we  are.  Such 
is  the  lustre  of  her  fame,  which  is  in  our 
power  to  tarnish  or  to  transmit  with  its 
full  radiance  undimmed.  In  serving  the 
common  weal  we  serve  the  Common- 
wealth. May  our  service  be  worthy  of 
her  great  past  and  of  her  greater  future." 

The  three  acts  most  worthy  of  record 
in  the  routine  of  the  executive  were  all 
done  in  protection  of  the  people's  rights. 

In  the  original  Subway  Act,  it  was  re- 
quired that  the  West  End  Railroad  should 
take  up  the  surface  tracks  on  Tremont 
Street.  This  the  road  had  done.  A  bill 
was  before  the  legislature  empowering  the 
road  to  re-lay  the  tracks.  The  pressure 
was  very  strong  upon  the  governor  to 
sign  the  bill,  if  it  should  pass.  He  had 
149 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

made  up  his  mind  that,  if  the  bill  passed 
without  clauses  for  a  referendum  and  for 
compensation  for  use  of  streets,  he  would 
veto  it.  It  would  have  been  natural  and 
more  in  harmony  with  the  traditions  of  the 
office  for  the  governor  to  veto  the  bill 
after  its  passage.  Feeling,  however,  that 
valuable  time  would  be  wasted  and  that 
it  would  be  better  for  all  interested  to 
know  his  mind,  he  told  the  supporters  of 
the  bill  the  conditions  on  which  alone  it 
would  have  his  signature.  The  clauses 
were  inserted,  the  bill  signed,  and  in  the 
referendum  vote  the  movement  to  re-lay 
the  tracks  was  heavily  defeated. 

On  several  other  occasions  he  antici- 
pated legislation  in  a  similar  way,  and 
aroused  thereby  some  criticism.  It  was 
thought  to  be  an  interference  with  freedom 
of  legislation.  His  action  was  entirely 
informal.  In  view  of  the  increase  in  the 


GOVERNOR 

volume  of  business  before  the  legislature, 
the  value  of  time,  and  the  inadvisability 
of  allowing  long  discussion  on  measures 
which,  with  some  change,  might  avoid  a 
veto,  he  felt  it  to  be  one  of  the  reasonable 
movements  in  administration  that  must 
come.  Since  his  day,  experience  in  na- 
tional and  state  legislation  has  shown  that 
his  surmise  was  correct.  Expedition  of 
business  requires  closer  understanding  be- 
tween the  executive  and  the  legislative 
bodies.  The  fear  of  a  veto  is  sometimes 
as  effective  as  a  veto,  and  often  more 
useful. 

A  bill  passed  the  legislature,  supported 
by  representatives  of  the  trades-unions,  ex- 
empting the  unions  from  making  returns 
to  the  insurance  commissioner.  When  the 
bill  came  to  the  governor  it  was  clear  that 
the  labor  organizations  would  make  it 
an  issue  as  to  his  sympathy  with  them. 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

The  governor  in  his  veto  message  lifted 
the  subject  above  partisan  considerations 
when  he  wrote :  — 

"It  has  long  been  the  policy  of  this 
Commonwealth  carefully  to  guard  the 
business  of  insurance  which  it  permits  to 
be  conducted  within  its  limits.  The  va- 
rious statutes  relating  to  the  method  of 
conducting  this  important  business  are  not 
intended  unnecessarily  to  hamper  or  con- 
trol it,  but  solely  to  protect  the  rights  of 
the  insured,  who,  as  experience  has  shown, 
without  such  protection  would  often  be 
subjected  to  serious  loss.  I  see  no  good 
reason  why  wage-workers  should  be  de- 
prived of  the  benefits  or  denied  the  pro- 
tection of  these  salutary  laws.  If  the  bill 
now  under  consideration  should  become  a 
law,  it  would  remove  all  statutory  restric- 
tions whatsoever  from  the  class  of  associa- 
tions described  therein,  and  consequently 
152 


GOVERNOR 

deprive  the  members  of  such  associations 
of  every  safeguard  which  the  wisdom  of 
the  legislature  has  imposed  on  all  other 
persons  conducting  a  similar  business." 

The  third  instance  was  his  veto  of  a  bill 
giving  the  veterans  of  the  Spanish  War 
preference  over  civilians  in  the  public 
service : — 

"  And  yet  the  veterans  of  the  Civil  War," 
he  said,  "  neither  asked  nor  received  stat- 
utory preference  over  civilians  in  the  pub- 
lic employ  until  the  lapse  of  nineteen  years 
from  the  close  of  the  strife,  and  the  pre- 
ference then  accorded  was  only  to  be  given 
4  other  qualities  being  equal.'  Eleven  years 
later  these  words  were  stricken  out,  and 
the  absolute  preference  was  first  enacted. 
...  I  have  yet  to  learn  that  any  consider- 
able number  of  the  soldiers  of  this  war 
have  expected  or  asked  for  more.  I  should 
feel  that  I  were  doing  them  dishonor  if  I 
'S3 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

believed  that  the  expectation  of  such  pre- 
ferment to  public  office  as  is  provided  in 
this  bill  entered  into  the  motives  which 
prompted  their  enlistment,  or  that  the  de- 
sire for  it  was  general  so  soon  after  the 
close  of  their  honorable  service." 

The  varied  interests  of  the  State  of 
Massachusetts  demand  of  the  governor  the 
abilities  and  habits  of  a  business  man. 
Mr.  Wolcott  inherited  business  habits  and 
had  a  good  general  knowledge  of  com- 
mercial interests.  He  was  conscientious 
and  intelligent  in  the  details  of  his  office. 
He  knew  the  worth  of  proper  accounting 
and  a  clear  financial  statement.  He  was 
prompt  and  exact  himself.  He  met  his 
engagements,  often  at  the  risk  of  his  health 
or  at  much  sacrifice  of  his  own  conven- 
ience. In  coming  to  a  decision  upon  mat- 
ters of  state,  and  in  seeking  the  advice  of 
others,  he  never  revealed  by  his  questions 


\ 


GOVERNOR 

or  conversation  in  what  direction  his 
judgment  was  moving;  and,  until  his  de- 
cision was  announced,  his  closest  friends 
knew  not  what  it  would  be. 

An  essential  talent  in  an  administra- 
tor is  that  of  judging  correctly  of  men's 
abilities  and  characters,  and  their  fitness 
for  certain  positions,  and  in  public  ser- 
vice of  getting  the  best  men  to  accept 
office. 

In  selecting  men  for  office  Mr.  Wolcott 
was  very  careful  in  his  inquiries.  He 
distrusted  letters  about  men;  so  much  so, 
indeed,  that  in  his  correspondence  there 
is  hardly  a  letter  upon  that  subject. 
He  trusted  to  individual  research  through 
friends,  to  incidental  conversation,  and  to 
a  personal  acquaintance  with  the  man.  In 
this  way  he  reenforced  a  good  instinctive 
knowledge  of  character.  There  were,  at 
rare  intervals,  appointments  which  wise 
rS5 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

friends  criticised.  Mr.  Wolcott  had,  how- 
ever, the  faculty  of  keeping  men  at  their 
best,  and  encouraging  the  finer  elements 
of  their  character.  Like  every  public 
officer  he  suffered  from  his  inability  to  get 
the  men  of  his  first  choice  to  serve:  not 
so  much  so,  however,  as  most  administra- 
tors, for  there  was  such  attractiveness  and 
enthusiasm  about  him  that  men  who  came 
into  his  presence  determined  to  refuse 
office  fell  before  his  persuasion  and  ap- 
peals to  public  duty. 

In  making  appointments,  his  first  and 
last  interest  was  the  public  service.  He 
appreciated  the  traditional  rights  of  par- 
ties, the  necessity  of  harmonious  political 
relations  in  certain  departments,  and  the 
advisability  of  considering  the  requests  of 
politicians  when  they  urged  good  and  effi- 
cient men  who  were  also  politically  use- 
ful. He  took  no  interest  in  appointments 
156 


GOVERNOR 

for  the  sake  of  political  advantage,  and 
frankly  opposed  any  use  of  the  public  ser- 
vice for  appointees  unworthy  of  the  posi- 
tion. 

"  These  fellows  do  not  understand  that 
such  peanut  politics  is  the  most  short- 
sighted policy  for  the  party  itself,  let  alone 
the  cause  of  good  government,"  he  would 
say  as  he  paced  up  and  down  the  room. 
"  The  people  can't  be  hoodwinked.  Give 
them  time,  and  they  will  discover  which 
party  is  best  administering  the  State." 

He  fully  appreciated,  nevertheless,  the 
worth  of  party  organization  and  political 
work.  He  had  the  wisdom  to  trust  the 
management  and  the  details  of  the  organ- 
ization to  those  who  had  undertaken  them, 
and  unless  the  administration  of  the  party 
transgressed  some  moral  principle,  he  fol- 
lowed it  loyally. 

Because   he   was  of   this   temper,   and 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

because,  much  as  he  believed  in  polit- 
ical parties,  he  had  little  interest  in  the 
machinery  of  the  organization,  many  peo- 
ple called  him  a  poor  politician.  He  al- 
ways had  an  eye,  not  so  much  to  the 
present  as  to  the  future  welfare  of  his 
party;  he  had  the  statesman's  prophetic 
vision.  And  confiding  as  he  did  in  the 
good  sense  and  honesty  of  the  people,  he 
knew  that  frank  and  high-minded  action 
would  in  time  win  their  approval.  He 
wanted  the  people  to  know  his  mind: 
sometimes  he  seemed  unnecessarily  frank. 
At  the  state  convention  of  1896  the  ques- 
tion of  biennial  state  elections  was  a  local 
issue.  The  party  was  divided  on  the  sub- 
ject; the  committee  on  resolutions,  fearing 
an  uncomfortable  debate  in  convention, 
had  quietly  slipped  that  plank  out  of  the 
platform.  The  resolutions  were  read ;  Mr. 
Wolcott  was  nominated  and  escorted  to 
'58 


GOVERNOR 

the  platform,  when  to  the  dismay  of  the 
politicians  on  both  sides  he  spoke  out  his 
conviction  in  favor  of  biennial  elections. 
He  wanted  them  and  the  Commonwealth 
to  know  just  where  he  stood.  Unwise 
from  a  short-sighted  point  of  view,  it  was 
the  wisdom  of  a  sincere  man,  for  the 
people  saw  that  he  was  one  in  whose  per- 
fect transparency  they  could  trust.  In 
short,  his  whole  political  life  was  one 
instinctive  appeal  behind  party,  politicians, 
and  the  machine  to  the  intelligence  and 
heart  of  the  people.  Men  were  surprised 
again  and  again  that  he  was  such  a  vote- 
getter.  It  was  because  in  Massachusetts 
there  was  no  political  machine  powerful 
enough  to  distort  or  suppress  the  senti- 
ments of  the  people.  They  voted  as  they 
felt.  In  voting  for  Roger  Wolcott  they 
felt  that  he  was  one  of  them:  his  strength 
was  their  strength;  through  him  their 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

authority  was  expressed  and  their  rights 
were  vindicated. 

Mr.  Wolcott  was  fortunate  in  the  time 
in  which  he  came  to  the  front.  The  year 
of  his  election  as  governor  was  a  great 
Republican  year.  With  all  allowance  for 
his  good  fortune,  however,  one  cannot  but 
marvel  at  the  change  in  Massachusetts 
political  parties  from  the  time  when  Cleve- 
land and  Russell  swept  the  State,  and 
when  Russell  swept  the  State  without 
Cleveland,  to  the  period  of  the  great  pop- 
ular support  of  Roger  Wolcott  during  the 
seven  years  of  his  administration.  He  was 
fortunate  in  the  conditions.  The  question 
may  well  be  asked,  however,  whether  he 
did  not  have  something  to  do  with  the 
creation  of  the  conditions,  and  whether 
the  spirit  expressed  in  his  first  Republican 
Club  speech  did  not  do  much  to  open  the 
way  for  him  and  his  party  to  walk  in. 
1 60 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE   WAR    WITH    SPAIN 

[HE  incidents  leading  to  the 
outbreak  of  the  Spanish  War 
are  too  recent  to  require  nar- 
ration. Even  the  youth  of  the 
country  recall  the  rising  indignation  of  the 
people  at  the  cruel  treatment  of  Cuba  by 
Spain,  the  destruction  of  the  Maine,  and 
the  anxious  suspense  of  the  following 
weeks.  The  efforts  of  the  administration 
towards  a  peaceful  settlement,  the  debates 
in  Congress,  and  the  pressure  of  an  angry 
people  are  fresh  in  all  memories. 

Mr.  Wolcott's  sympathies  were  with  the 
President  in  his  efforts  to  use  every  honor- 
able means  to  avert  the  war.    He  counseled 
161 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

patience  and  self-restraint.  Conscious, 
however,  that  war  might  come,  he  was 
advising  with  his  military  staff,  conferring 
with  the  War  Department  at  Washington, 
and  doing  everything  possible  without 
public  knowledge  to  prepare  the  militia 
for  immediate  service. 

As  early  as  December,  1897,  four 
months  before  war  was  declared,  the  work 
of  preparation  was  begun.  On  January 
15  an  order  was  issued  requiring  all  militia 
organizations  at  armory  inspections  to  ap- 
pear equipped  as  if  for  two  days'  field 
duty.  Commanding  officers  were  perfect- 
ing themselves  for  active  service.  As  the 
War  Department  at  Washington  said  that 
they  were  unable  to  furnish  supplies  and 
equipment,  these  were  sought  for  in  many 
directions,  so  that  if  the  emergency  should 
come  and  an  appropriation  be  made,  they 
could  be  immediately  obtained. 
162 


THE  WAR   WITH    SPAIN 

On  the  29th  of  March  resolutions  de- 
claring war  with  Spain  and  recognizing 
the  independence  of  Cuba  were  introduced 
into  both  houses  of  Congress. 

On  the  nth  of  April  the  President, 
having  become  convinced  that  the  re- 
sources of  diplomacy  were  unavailing  to 
alter  the  conditions  in  Cuba,  asked  Con- 
gress to  give  him  power  to  intervene  in 
behalf  of  the  nation. 

On  the  1 5th  of  April,  Governor  Wol- 
cott  sent  this  special  message  to  the  legis- 
lature :  — 

"  To    the    Honorable    the    Senate    and 
House  of  Representatives  \ — 

"  In  the  present  grave  and  threatening 
conditions  of  the  relations  of  the  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States  with  the  king- 
dom of  Spain,  growing  out  of  the  inhuman 
and  unavailing  warfare  in  the  island  of 
Cuba,  I  deem  that  the  time  has  come  when 
163 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

it  is  my  duty  to  ask  that  your  honorable 
bodies  place  in  my  hands  the  means  to 
enable  me  to  meet  with  promptness  and 
efficiency  whatever  demands  the  exigen- 
cies of  possible  war  may  require  the  na- 
tional government  to  make  upon  the  Com- 
monwealth of  Massachusetts. 

"Whenever,  in  the  past,  heroism  and 
sacrifice  in  a  just  cause  have  been  de- 
manded, Massachusetts  has  generously 
given  of  her  blood  and  treasure.  She  will 
not  falter  now. 

"I  ask  that  $500,000,  or  such  part 
thereof  as  may  be  necessary,  may  be  ap- 
propriated to  be  expended  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  commander-in-chief,  in  defray- 
ing the  military  and  naval  expenses  which 
the  existing  emergency  may  render  requi- 
site and  proper." 

Within  twenty-five  minutes  of  the  time 
that  the  message  had  left  the  governor's 
164 


THE   WAR  WITH   SPAIN 

hand,  it  had  been  passed  unanimously  in 
each  house,  engrossed,  carried  back  to  the 
executive  chamber,  and  approved  by  the 
governor. 

Such  action  was  typical  of  the  prompt- 
ness with  which  the  Commonwealth  met 
every  call  upon  her  in  the  nation's  war 
against  Spain.  It  was  typical  also  of  the 
confidence  which  she  reposed  in  her  chief 
magistrate.  Said  Mr.  Wolcott,  at  the  end 
of  the  war,  in  referring  to  this  incident, 
"  I  consider  the  ready  confidence  of  the 
legislature  of  Massachusetts,  without  re- 
gard to  party,  as  one  of  the  great  honors 
of  my  life." 

On  the  1 9th  of  April  the  resolution 
asked  for  by  the  President  passed  Con- 
gress, and  on  the  23d  a  call  was  issued  for 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand 
troops.  On  April  25  war  was  declared 
by  Congress.  On  the  next  day,  the  First 
'65 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

Massachusetts  Heavy  Artillery  Regiment, 
equipped  for  war,  marched  through  Bos- 
ton to  garrison  Fort  Warren.  As  in  1861, 
so  now  Massachusetts  had  the  first  state 
troops  immediately  available  for  national 
defense. 

A  new  generation  had  come  to  man- 
hood since  in  the  sixties  the  regiments, 
after  review  by  the  governor,  had  passed 
through  Boston  to  the  seat  of  war.  The 
men  and  women  in  whose  memories  those 
scenes  were  but  as  yesterday  were  re- 
kindled with  enthusiasm  as  they  heard  the 
tramp  of  the  soldiers,  and  the  sound  of 
the  fife  and  drum;  and  the  youth  who 
had  been  bred  to  stories  of  the  last  war 
were  alert  to  catch  sight  of  the  first  regi- 
ment. 

Standing  on  the  State  House  steps, 
whence  Governor  Andrew  had  reviewed 
the  troops,  was  Governor  Wolcott,  sup- 
166 


THE   WAR  WITH    SPAIN 

ported  by  his  staff,  and  behind  them  a 
company  of  officials  and  ladies.  Gratified 
as  he  was  that  Massachusetts  should  have 
responded  so  promptly  to  his  call,  there 
was  a  touch  of  personal  pride  in  the  hearts 
of  himself  and  Mrs.  Wolcott,  for  in  the 
ranks  of  Battery  A  marched  their  oldest 
son,  Roger,  who,  the  evening  before,  had 
enlisted  for  service.  Neither  then  nor  later 
in  the  war  did  the  governor  give  his  son 
a  commission,  for  his  son's  wish  coin- 
cided with  his  own  that  he  should  go  forth 
like  other  patriots,  in  the  ranks. 

The  whole  city  seemed  to  pour  into  the 
streets.  Up  Beacon  Street  the  regiment 
marched,  and  as  they  passed  the  State 
House,  the  governor  bared  his  head. 
Down  State  Street  to  the  dock  they 
tramped  amidst  the  cheers  of  the  people. 

The  incident  is  worthy  of  record  for  its 
significance:  the  loyalty  of  Boston  and 
167 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

the  State  to  the  nation  in  her  time  of  trial, 
and  their  prompt  response  to  her  call. 

It  is  difficult  for  us,  since  the  Spanish 
navy  was  so  easily  destroyed,  to  recall  the 
nervousness  and  fear  that  ran  along  the 
New  England  coast  lest  Spanish  cruisers 
should  appear  in  the  offing  and  bombard 
the  cities.  That  their  securities  and  valu- 
ables might  be  removed  at  the  approach 
of  danger,  bankers  and  other  citizens 
rented  boxes  in  the  safe  deposit  vaults  of 
Worcester.  One  bank  in  that  city  in- 
creased its  number  of  boxes  under  the 
pressure.  Summer  cottages  could  not  be 
rented,  and  solid  citizens  looked  anxious 
as  they  discussed  the  possibility  of  the  de- 
struction of  their  buildings  and  property. 
Mayors  and  selectmen  appealed  to  the 
governor  for  protection  and  fortifications. 

In  response  to  a  letter  of  inquiry  from 
the  governor,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
1 68 


THE   WAR   WITH   SPAIN 

wrote  that  the  War  Department  consid- 
ered Boston  well  protected,  and  that  for 
the  defense  of  other  ports  on  the  Massa- 
chusetts coast,  a  deep-sea  patrol  was  being 
organized.  He  added, — 

"  While,  therefore,  I  do  not  think  that 
the  coast  of  Massachusetts  will  be  in  much 
danger  from  privateers  or  Spanish  men- 
of-war,  I  do  think  it  would  be  well  to 
throw  up  earthworks  at  the  most  exposed 
points,  the  guns  to  be  mounted  and  handled 
by  the  state  militia." 

The  governor  and  his  military  council 
had  been  anxiously  waiting  for  orders  or 
instructions  about  the  troops  from  the 
War  Department,  but  up  to  April  25 
none  had  been  received.  Meanwhile, 
citizens  were  volunteering  their  services, 
and  others  were  importuning  him  for  com- 
missions for  themselves,  their  sons,  or 
their  friends. 

169 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

On  the  evening  of  the  25th,  a  telegram, 
was  received  from  the  Secretary  of  War, 
stating  that  the  number  of  troops  required 
from  Massachusetts  under  the  call  of  the 
President,  of  April  25,  would  be  four 
regiments  of  infantry,  and  three  heavy 
batteries  of  artillery,  and  adding :  — 

"  It  is  the  wish  of  the  President  that  the 
regiments  of  the  national  guard  or  state 
militia  shall  be  used  as  far  as  their  num- 
bers will  permit,  for  the  reason  that  they 
are  armed,  equipped,  and  drilled.  Please 
wire  as  early  as  possible  what  equip- 
ment, ammunition,  arms,  blankets,  tents, 
etc.,  you  have,  and  what  additions  you 
will  require. 

"Please  also  state  when  troops  will  be 
ready  for  muster  into  the  United  States 
service.  Details  to  follow  by  mail." 

The  answer  of  the  governor  was  imme- 
diate :  — 

170 


THE   WAR   WITH   SPAIN 

"Four  regiments  infantry,  and  three 
batteries  artillery  ready  for  immediate  ser- 
vice. For  infantry,  sufficient  equipment, 
ammunition,  arms,  blankets,  and  tents  on 
hand;  same  for  heavy  artillery,  except 
that  we  have  no  heavy  guns  or  ammuni- 
tion." 

Information  came  to  the  governor  that 
some  of  the  officers  and  privates  of  the 
militia  regiments,  in  their  desire  to  enlist, 
would  leave  the  militia  service  and  enlist 
in  the  regular  army,  and  there  was  danger 
that  the  organized  militia  now  ready  for 
service  would  be  broken  up.  There  was 
also  a  feeling  that,  as  the  militia  regi- 
ments had  entered  the  militia  for  state 
service,  they  could  not  fairly  be  called 
upon  to  enlist  as  a  body  for  national  ser- 
vice. 

As  he  could  get  no  definite  instructions 
from  the  War  Department,  and  as  mem- 
171 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

bers  of  his  staff  were  told  by  the  officials 
at  Washington  that  the  Massachusetts 
troops  would  be  used  for  coast  defense, 
the  governor,  by  the  advice  of  his  military 
council,  issued,  on  April  25,  jthe  following 
statement:  — 

"In  view  of  the  possibility  that  an  im- 
portant theatre  of  war  may  be  on  or  near 
the  New  England  coast,  and  that  a  num- 
ber of  troops  substantially  equal  to  the 
present  militia  force  of  the  Commonwealth 
will  be  necessary  for  the  coast  defense  in 
Massachusetts,  I  am  advised  by  the  coun- 
cil of  officers  to  make  public  announce- 
ment of  my  opinion  that  it  would  be 
detrimental  to  the-  efficiency  of  the  ser- 
vice to  encourage  or  permit  the  depletion 
or  disintegration  of  existing  organizations 
by  wholesale  enlistments  of  officers  or 
commands  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States. 

172 


THE  WAR  WITH   SPAIN 

"  If,  as  is  probable,  an  additional  num- 
ber of  volunteers  is  called  for  beyond  the 
present  force  of  the  militia,  this  number 
should,  in  my  judgment,  be  made  up  in 
large  measure  by  new  enlistments  of  patri- 
otic citizens,  not  at  present  connected 
with  organizations,  although  opportunities 
should  also  be  open  to  individual  members 
of  the  militia  to  volunteer,  subject  to  a 
proper  consideration  of  the  welfare  of  the 
State.  Any  member  of  the  militia  desir- 
ing so  to  volunteer  should  make  applica- 
tion for  discharge  to  his  commanding  offi- 
cer, and  await  favorable  action  thereon. 
His  place  in  the  militia  should  then  be 
filled  by  enlistment.  The  defense  of  the 
coast  line  of  this  .  Commonwealth  is  a 
necessary  and  honorable  service,  which 
should  be  loyally  performed  by  all  on 
whom  the  duty  devolves,  and  should  not 
be  made  secondary  to  any  service  else- 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

where,  however  patriotic  the  motives 
which  might  influence  such  action,  unless 
in  obedience  to  definite  orders  from  Wash- 
ington. The  Commonwealth  will  respond 
promptly  and  enthusiastically  to  any  call 
for  volunteers  which  may  be  made,  and 
believes  that  in  maintaining  the  efficiency 
of  her  military  organizations  for  coast  de- 
fense, she  is  acting  in  accordance  with  the 
wishes  and  purposes  of  the  national  gov- 
ernment." 

The  motive  of  the  statement  was  imme- 
diately misunderstood.  It  was  interpreted 
by  some  people  in  Washington  as  a  notice 
to  the  administration  that  Massachusetts 
would  take  care  of  herself  first  and  of  the 
nation  afterwards.  The  Massachusetts 
senators  and  representatives  met  and  sent 
a  telegram  to  the  governor,  urging  him  to 
fill  up  the  quota  of  Massachusetts  and 
leave  the  protection  of  the  coast  to  the 


THE   WAR  WITH   SPAIN 

government.  The  governor  telegraphed 
to  Senator  Lodge :  — 

"  Am  informed  there  may  be  some  mis- 
understanding as  to  the  statement  made 
by  me  regarding  the  use  of  state  militia 
on  our  coast.  I  think  a  careful  reading  of 
statement  makes  meaning  clear.  Any  and 
all  definite  orders  from  Washington  for 
existing  regiments  or  new  regiments  for 
service  out  of  the  State  will  be  promptly 
obeyed.  If  existing  regiments  are  left 
within  the  State  for  coast  defense,  their 
organization  must  be  maintained,  oppor- 
tunity to  be  given  for  enlistment  of  indi- 
viduals from  militia  for  service  elsewhere, 
but  not  of  commands.  No  definite  orders 
of  any  description  yet  received." 

The  next  day  the  governor  publicly 
said :  — 

"  Any  idea  that  the  government  of  the 
Commonwealth  has  had  an  intention  of 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

antagonizing  the  national  government  in 
the  matter  of  furnishing  our  quota  of  men 
for  the  war  is  entirely  a  mistaken  one, 
and,  I  think,  due  to  careless  reading  of 
my  original  statement.  My  position  is 
simply  this :  I  think  our  militia  should  be 
kept  intact  until  it  is  specifically  called  for 
by  the  national  government,  and  that  it 
should  not  be  allowed  to  disintegrate 
through  the  enlistment  of  any  consider- 
able number  of  its  members  in  the  regular 
army.  My  reason  for  making  the  state- 
ment that  seems  to  have  caused  so  much 
comment  was  that  I  had  been  told  that 
many  members  of  the  militia,  in  some 
cases  whole  companies,  contemplated  leav- 
ing their  present  organization  to  enlist  in 
the  regular  army.  That  tendency  I  wished 
to  arrest  as  far  as  practicable. 

"  Now,  I  have  supposed  that  our  militia, 
under  control  of  the  national  government, 
176 


THE  WAR  WITH   SPAIN 

of  course,  would  be  utilized  to  man  our 
own  coast  defenses,  and  I  have  never 
believed  the  national  government  would 
call  upon  them  to  go  elsewhere,  but  sup- 
posed men  from  the  inland  States,  that 
have  no  coast  to  defend,  would  be  called 
on  for  distant  service.  And,  assuming 
that  our  own  men  are  to  stay  right  here  for 
home  service,  I  have  tried  to  keep  their 
organization  intact  in  order  that  we  may 
get  the  best  possible  service  from  them. 
Now,  in  all  this  there  is  no  antagonism  to 
the  national  government,  for  I  have  not 
yet  received  an  order  from  that  direction. 
When  it  comes  it  will  be  obeyed,  if  it  calls 
for  only  a  portion  of  the  militia,  or  for 
every  man  in  it." 

On  the  night  of  the  zyth  the  governor 

received  the  long-expected  letter  from  the 

Secretary   of   War,   giving   the   quota   of 

Massachusetts  for  the  national  troops,  four 

177 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

regiments  of  infantry  and  three  batteries 
of  artillery,  to  serve  for  two  years  unless 
sooner  discharged.  He  acknowledged  the 
letter  by  a  telegram:  "  Massachusetts  will 
respond  with  the  utmost  promptitude  and 
patriotism  to  the  request." 

On  the  29th,  the  governor  issued  his 
call  for  state  troops,  designating  the  Sec- 
ond, Ninth,  Eighth,  and  Sixth  regiments 
of  infantry  of  Massachusetts  Volunteer 
Militia,  giving  to  the  officers  and  men  of 
those  regiments  the  first  opportunity  to 
volunteer  for  the  national  service.  He 
thus  preserved  the  integrity  of  the  regi- 
ments, and  filled  the  places  of  the  men 
who  were  unable  to  volunteer  with  re- 
cruits, giving  the  preference  to  those  who 
had  some  military  training.  The  procla- 
mation closed  with  the  words :  — 

"  I  enjoin  upon  all  officers  and  enlisted 
men  the  paramount  duty  of  securing  and 
I78 


THE  WAR  WITH    SPAIN 

maintaining  in  the  volunteer  force  and  in 
the  state  militia  the  highest  military  effi- 
ciency and  the  best  citizenship.  To  this 
end  all  other  considerations  should  be 
rigidly  subordinated. 

"In  both  services  alike  there  will  be 
abundant  opportunity  for  the  display  of 
that  finer  type  of  patriotism  which  not 
only  dares  and  endures,  but  subordinates 
selfish  interests  and  ambitions  in  a  great 
cause. 

"  May  God  save  and  bless  the  Common- 
wealth of  Massachusetts  and  the  greater 
nation  of  which  it  is  a  part." 

In  his  boyhood  Roger  Wolcott  had 
heard  at  home  the  earnest  talk  of  his  par- 
ents about  the  work  of  the  Sanitary  Com- 
mission, of  which  his  father  was  the  trea- 
surer. It  was  natural  that  as  soon  as  the 
first  steps  toward  military  equipment  and 
service  had  been  taken  he  should  prepare 
179 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

for  the  effects  of  war,  —  the  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers.  On  April  30  he  sent 
out  an  invitation  to  a  number  of  citizens 
to  meet  at  the  council  chamber  to  "form 
at  once  a  soldiers'  relief  organization  with 
purposes  similar  to  those  of  the  Sani- 
tary Commission  during  the  Civil  War." 
It  was  the  first  action  of  the  kind  taken 
in  the  country.  On  May  3  the  Massa- 
chusetts Volunteer  Aid  Association  was 
organized,  and  the  next  day  it  was  at 
work. 

One  by  one  the  regiments  went  into 
camp  at  Framingham,  the  Second  on  May 
3,  the  Ninth  on  May  4,  the  Eighth  on 
May  5,  and  the  Sixth  on  May  6,  and  were 
mustered  into  the  United  States  Volunteer 
Army.  Their  equipment  was  complete,  — 
tents,  ovens,  medical  stores,  uniforms, 
guns,  working  suits,  rubber  blankets,  and 
everything  else  required  for  service  at  the 
180 


THE  WAR  WITH    SPAIN 

front.  In  order  that  the  coast  might  have 
some  defense  and  that  the  nervousness  of 
the  people  might  be  relieved,  detachments 
of  the  militia  were  sent,  with  the  approval 
of  the  authorities  at  Washington  and  New 
York,  to  various  points  along  the  coast 
to  camp  for  eight  days,  covering  twenty- 
four  days  in  all,  preceding  the  arrival  of 
the  United  States  Volunteer  troops.  The 
Signal  Corps  established  and  maintained 
stations  from  Plum  Island  to  the  State 
House. 

On  May  u  came  a  message  from  the 
Secretary  of  War,  asking  how  soon  the 
governor  could  send  a  regiment  to  New 
York  to  be  sent  on  a  transport  to  Tampa. 
The  answer  was,  "  The  Second  Regiment 
of  Infantry  waits  orders." 

The  order  came  for  the  regiment  to 
start  the  next  day.  On  that  day  the  gov- 
ernor went  to  the  camp  at  Framingham. 
181 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

The  regiment  formed  in  a  hollow  square 
and  stood  at  attention.  Memories  of  his 
boyhood,  of  the  camp  at  Readville,  and  of 
his  farewell  to  his  brother,  must  have  shot 
through  his  mind.  He  lifted  his  hat  and 
with  a  voice  strong  but  full  of  emotion, 
said :  — 

"Colonel  Clark,  officers  and  men:  You 
are  now  about  to  leave  the  Commonwealth 
of  your  birth  to  endure  hardship  and  peril 
in  a  righteous  war  waged  for  the  promo- 
tion of  humanity  and  to  uplift  an  oppressed 
people  from  the  domination  of  a  cruel  and 
corrupt  power. 

"The  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts 
through  me,  their  official  representative  at 
this  time,  bids  you  godspeed.  Our  hopes, 
yes,  our  high  confidence,  go  with  you, 
men  of  Massachusetts.  We  feel  sure  that 
as  you  carry  the  stars  and  stripes  of  the 
United  States  and  the  pure  white  flag  of 
182 


CO 

Cfl  M 

*^  r? 

2  w 

^  en 

K  * 


S  2 

1-1  c/3 

O  i^ 

H  2 

o  22 


THE   WAR   WITH   SPAIN 

Massachusetts  you  will  so  bear  yourselves 
that  no  stain  of  dishonor  shall  rest  on 
these  colors  which  to-day  are  committed 
to  your  keeping. 

"  Keep  a  brave  heart  and  a  clean  body. 
Remember  that  a  part  of  the  glory  of  Mas- 
sachusetts is  committed  to  you.  Be  obe- 
dient, courageous,  and  temperate  at  all 
times. 

"  May  the  God  of  our  fathers  hold  you 
in  his  keeping  and  bring  you  glory  and 
honor  and  peace." 

In  the  next  few  days  he  reviewed  the 
other  regiments,  and  in  touching  and  elo- 
quent words  spoke  to  each. 

To  the  Sixth,  which  is  a  Middlesex 
regiment,  he  said:  — 

"You  are  the  direct  heirs  of  the  men 

who  stood  at  the  bridge  at  Concord  and 

fired   the    shot    heard    round   the    world. 

You  are  the  heirs  of  the  men  whose  blood 

'83 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

stained  the  mob-cursed  streets  of  Balti- 
more, —  a  city  to-day,  thank  God !  ready  to 
greet  a  Massachusetts  regiment  with  the 
full-hearted  loyalty  of  a  reunited  nation. 

"  Men  of  the  Sixth,  thus  the  memory  of 
those  and  other  great  days  in  the  history 
of  the  nation  will  travel  with  you  wherever 
you  go,  and  whether  stationed  to  protect 
the  national  capitol,  which  symbolizes  the 
dignity  of  the  republic,  or  whether  sum- 
moned to  some  other  post  of  duty  and 
danger,  may  every  northern  breeze  bring 
you  the  whispers  of  the  old  Common- 
wealth of  Massachusetts,  bidding  you  to 
quit  you  like  men  and  be  strong." 

As  the  Sixth  Regiment  entered  Balti- 
more a  few  days  later,  they  were  formally 
welcomed  by  the  mayor,  and  as  they 
marched  through  the  city  by  the  same 
route  which  the  old  Sixth  took  in  1861, 
they  were  given  a  great  ovation  by  all 
184 


THE   WAR  WITH   SPAIN 

the  citizens.  It  was  the  first  act  of  the 
Spanish  War  which,  followed  by  many 
others,  strengthened  the  unity  of  the  na- 
tion. 

On  the  25th  of  May  the  President  issued 
a  call  for  75,000  more  volunteers,  and  the 
governor  was  notified  by  the  Secretary  of 
War  that  the  share  of  Massachusetts  was 
3041.  His  response  was,  "The  number 
will  be  furnished  on  receiving  detailed 
instructions." 

On  the  1 5th  of  July  the  governor  gave 
commissions  to  the  officers  of  the  Fifth 
Regiment  and  presented  colors  to  the  regi- 
ment. 

Throughout  that  exceptionally  hot  sum- 
mer, the  governor  was  at  his  office  all  day 
and  often  well  into  the  night,  organizing, 
directing,  conferring,  meeting  the  parents 
or  friends  of  those  who  were  reported  sick, 
wounded,  or  dead ;  clearing  his  desk  of  its 
185 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

heavy  load  of  letters,  and  responding  to 
every  appeal  for  counsel  or  sympathy. 

He  followed  with  intense  interest  the 
movements  of  each  of  the  regiments,  and, 
as  far  as  he  knew  them,  of  the  individual 
soldiers  and  sailors  of  Massachusetts. 

The  Second  Regiment,  arriving  at 
Tampa,  Fla.,  was  the  first  infantry  regi- 
ment to  report  in  a  United  States  camp. 
It  was  also  the  first  volunteer  regiment  to 
land  in  Cuba.  It  participated  in  the  en- 
gagement at  Siboney,  was  on  the  firing 
line  at  El  Caney  and  San  Juan,  suffering 
in  killed  and  wounded,  and  was  intrenched 
before  Santiago  at  the  time  of  the  surren- 
der. 

The  Sixth  was  ordered  to  Cuba,  but  did 
not  disembark  there.  Ordered  to  Porto 
Rico,  it  was  engaged  with  the  enemy,  and 
in  October  returned  to  Boston  by  trans- 
port. 

186 


THE   WAR   WITH   SPAIN 

The  Eighth  went  into  camp  at  Chicka- 
mauga.  Suffering  severely  from  illness 
there,  it  was  moved  into  camp  at  Lex- 
ington, Ky.,  and  Americus,  Ga.,  gaining 
wherever  it  went  an  excellent  name  for 
discipline  and  equipment.  It  went  later 
to  Cuba  to  reduce  the  district  of  Matan- 
zas  to  order. 

The  Ninth,  stationed  at  Camp  Alger, 
Va.,  was  ordered  to  Cuba,  and  was  eigh- 
teen days  in  the  trenches,  suffering  se- 
verely from  sickness. 

The  Fifth,  which  was  the  only  Mas- 
sachusetts regiment  to  have  time  to 
"  harden  "  for  service,  went  into  camp  in 
South  Carolina,  and  showed  itself  to  be  of 
the  very  best  material  and  discipline. 

The  First  Regiment  of  Heavy  Artillery 
did  excellent  service  in  manning  the  coast 
defenses  of  Massachusetts  throughout  the 
summer. 

187 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

The  naval  brigade,  made  up  of  eight 
divisions,  was  detailed  on  various  duties. 
One  detachment,  ordered  to  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  was  the  first  naval  volunteer  or- 
ganization in  the  country  to  report  for 
duty.  Details  of  the  brigade  served  upon 
the  United  States  Ship  Prairie  on  the 
coast  defense,  fleet,  and  later  in  blockade 
duty  on  the  southern  coast  of  Cuba;  also 
upon  the  monitors  and  other  vessels  for 
coast  defense.  Details  also  responded  to 
the  calls  of  the  government  in  other  lines 
of  service. 

The  promptness  in  response  to  call  and 
the  excellent  equipment  of  the  Massachu- 
setts troops  led  the  War  Department  to 
turn  to  them  for  service  at  the  front. 
Hence  Massachusetts  had  a  larger  propor- 
tion of  her  troops  in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico 
than  any  other  State  in  the  Union. 

With  the  victory  at  Santiago  and  the 
1 88 


THE  WAR   WITH   SPAIN 

close  of  the  war  came  the  return  of  the 
soldiers.  The  country  had  already  been 
aroused  at  what  seemed  to  be  gross  in- 
efficiency in  the  War  Department  in 
caring  for  the  health  and  comfort  of  the 
men.  Added  to  this  were  the  inexpe- 
rience of  many  officers  and  the  indiffer- 
ence of  others  to  camp  discipline  and  sani- 
tary conditions.  These  features,  combined 
with  the  fact  that  Northern  men,  unaccli- 
mated,  were  under  a  torrid  sun  and  in 
malarial  districts,  resulted  in  an  appalling 
sick  list,  crowded  hospitals,  and  many 
deaths. 

The  Second  and  Ninth  regiments,  whose 
ranks  had  been  thinned  by  hard  service, 
were  sent  back  from  Cuba  to  the  camp  at 
Montauk  Point  in  filthy  transports,  arriv- 
ing, as  the  governor  telegraphed  Secretary 
Alger,  in  a  "  pitiable  condition."  In  the 
organization  of  the  Volunteer  Aid  Society, 
189 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

through  his  military  staff,  and  by  the  vol- 
unteer work  of  civilians  like  Sherman 
Hoar,  who  laid  down  his  life  in  that  noble 
service,  the  governor  had  done  everything 
in  his  power  to  anticipate  the  sickness  and 
sufferings  of  war. 

A  steamship  was  bought  by  the  Volun- 
teer Aid  Society,  and,  having  been  re- 
named "  The  Bay  State,"  was  fitted  up  with 
every  appliance  for  transport  hospital  ser- 
vice. Though  intended  especially  for  the 
aid  of  Massachusetts  soldiers,  she  was 
always  at  the  service  of  any  troops  need- 
ing her.  She  plied  from  port  to  port, 
bringing  home  sick  soldiers,  carrying  food 
for  invalids,  and  medical  supplies;  and 
apart  from  her  immediate  service,  gave 
the  nation  an  object  lesson  as  to  what 
could  be  done  by  the  volunteer  work  of 
patriotic  citizens  aided  by  the  best  medi- 
cal skill. 

190 


THE  WAR  WITH   SPAIN 

At  a  dinner  of  the  Republican  Club  in 
October,  1898,  the  governor,  after  refer- 
ring to  the  fear  of  attack  on  the  part  of  the 
people  along  the  seacoast,  said:  — 

"  It  was  five  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of 
April  27  that  the  first  definite  orders  re- 
garding the  quota  of  this  Commonwealth 
were  received  by  me  at  the  State  House. 
It  was  a  call  for  four  regiments  of  infantry 
and  three  heavy  batteries,  and  it  was  stated 
that,  in  providing  this  quota,  the  prefer- 
ence was  to  be  given  to  the  National 
Guard  or  the  Militia,  as  we  are  in  the 
habit  of  calling  it  in  this  Commonwealth, 
and  that  the  several  commands  as  organ- 
ized would  be  accepted  in  filling  the  quota. 
The  next  morning,  the  four  infantry  regi- 
ments were  designated  in  general  order  of 
seniority,  —  the  Second,  the  Ninth,  the 
Eighth,  and  the  Sixth.  The  next  day  the 
First  Heavy  Artillery  Regiment  was  ac- 
191 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

cepted  as  a  unit,  instead  of  the  three  bat- 
teries of  heavy  artillery  called  for  in  the 
original  quota.  On  April  29,  two  days 
after  the  first  knowledge  of  what  the  Mas- 
sachusetts quota  was  to  be,  orders  were 
issued  for  these  four  infantry  regiments  to 
go  to  camp  at  Framingham  on  the  four 
consecutive  days  beginning  with  May  2, 
and  that  was  done.  Within  five  days  of 
the  call,  Massachusetts  regiments  were  in 
camps  equipped  with  tentage,  guns,  —  not, 
to  be  sure,  provided  with  smokeless  pow- 
der, but  the  best  and  most  recent  Spring- 
field rifle  that  the  government  at  that  time 
could  furnish. 

"These  regiments  remained,  as  you  are 
aware,  at  Framingham  for  a  period  not 
made  necessary  by  their  lack  of  prepara- 
tion, but  made  necessary  by  the  fact  that 
arrangements  at  Washington  had  not  ad- 
vanced sufficiently  far  for  definite  orders 
192 


THE   WAR   WITH   SPAIN 

to  be  issued  as  to  their  new  places  of 
assembly;  but  on  May  13  the  gallant 
Second  Regiment  left  for  Florida,  to  be 
followed  on  the  i6th  by  the  Eighth  to 
Chickamauga,  on  the  zoth  by  the  Sixth  to 
Camp  Alger,  and  on  the  3ist  by  the  Ninth, 
also  to  Camp  Alger.  I  wish  I  could  say 
what  is  in  my  heart  about  these  regiments. 
They  were  made  up  of  the  young  men  of 
Massachusetts,  brave,  earnest,  loyal  to  the 
government,  ready  to  sacrifice  their  lives 
if  need  be  at  the  call  of  duty,  and  they 
have  made  a  record  that  will  forever  re- 
main an  honorable  record  in  the  annals  of 
this  Commonwealth. 

"  Your  president  has  spoken  of  the  de- 
gree of  preparation  and  equipment  with 
which  those  regiments  were  placed  in  the 
field.  Testimony  to  the  superiority  of 
Massachusetts  troops  comes  not  alone  from 
Massachusetts  men.  It  has  come  to  my 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

knowledge  and  to  my  ears  from  men  from 
other  States,  from  officers  in  the  regular 
army,  and  from  newspaper  correspondents 
and  others  in  position  to  judge.  .  .  . 

"  The  service  of  these  Massachusetts 
regiments  is  known  to  you.  You  know 
the  perils,  the  dangers,  the  hardships,  the 
disease  they  have  been  called  upon  to 
meet.  I  can  assure  you  that  the  spirit 
that  sent  them  forth  is  still  strong  and 
fresh  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  have  re- 
turned. 

"  It  may  interest  you  to  know  how  many 
troops  Massachusetts  has  furnished  in  this 
war.  I  give  figures  that  are  as  accurate 
as  they  can  be  made  up  to  the  present 
time.  .  .  .  Under  the  first  and  second  call 
Massachusetts  furnished  6988  men  and  in 
the  signal  corps  and  regulars  about  1500 
more,  making  a  total  of  8500.  In  the  naval 
brigade  about  600,  and  in  the  navy  and 
194 


THE  WAR  WITH   SPAIN 

marine  corps  about  2000,  bringing  the 
total  in  the  army  and  navy  up  to  1 1,000.* 
Out  of  the  sum  of  $500,000  placed  in 
my  hands  for  expenditure  at  my  discretion, 
the  sum  of  $307,000  has  already  been 
paid  out,  chiefly  for  arms,  equipment,  pay 
allowance,  subsistence,  and  clothing.  The 
legislature  of  Massachusetts,  with  wise 
generosity,  provided  that  for  all  soldiers 
of  Massachusetts,  whether  enlisting  in  the 
volunteer  service  of  the  United  States  or 
in  the  regular  service,  whether  on  land  or 
afloat,  the  Commonwealth  would  supple- 
ment the  payment  made  by  the  United 
States  government  by  a  monthly  payment 
of  seven  dollars.  Under  this  generous 
policy,  over  $210,000  has  already  been 
paid  from  the  treasury  of  the  Common- 

1  Report  of  the  Adjutant-General  of  Massachu- 
setts,  1898:   Call  of  the  Government,  7388  men; 
number  furnished,  11,780. 
195 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

wealth.  Not  only  that,  but  it  provided 
that  upon  the  death  of  a  soldier,  this 
monthly  payment  of  seven  dollars  should 
be  continued  after  his  decease.  The  Com- 
monwealth has  also  made  provisions  for 
hospital  treatment  for  all  soldiers  of  the 
Commonwealth  in  whatever  hospitals  they 
may  have  been  received,  and  in  cases 
where  the  condition  of  the  family  is  such 
as  to  make  it  necessary,  it  aids  also  in  the 
final  solemn  rites  of  burial. 

"  Your  president  has  referred  in  brief  to 
a  part  of  the  work  of  the  Volunteer  Aid 
Association.  .  .  .  Two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars  has  been  placed  in  the 
treasury  of  that  association,  without  per- 
sonal solicitation,  coming  from  the  rich 
out  of  their  plenty,  coming  from  those  of 
moderate  means,  where  a  gift  of  this  nature 
meant  the  depriving  themselves  of  some 
comfort  or  luxury,  and  coming  also,  thank 
196 


THE   WAR   WITH   SPAIN 

God  for  it,  from  the  very  poor.  There 
have  been  the  most  touching  stories  told 
of  how  people  rose  up  to  furnish  this 
assistance  to  the  soldiers  and  sailors  of  this 
war.  A  stevedore  comes  into  the  office 
with  his  hand  full  of  one  dollar  bills,  and 
says:  ' Those  have  been  collected  from 
the  'longshoremen  on  our  wharves.'  He 
does  n't  ask  for  a  receipt.  He  simply  says, 
'  That  is  for  the  soldiers.'  Factory  girls, 
laborers,  school  children,  everybody, 
seemed  desirous  of  aiding  in  some  way 
and  up  to  their  means.  In  nearly  every 
city  and  town  branch  associations  have 
been  organized.  They  have  received  the 
soldiers  upon  their  return ;  they  have 
looked  after  them;  they  have  looked  after 
their  families;  they  have  carried  on  an 
immense  correspondence  when  the  fami- 
lies, through  ignorance  of  the  whereabouts 
of  their  loved  ones,  were  unable  to  do  so; 
197 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

and  in  this  way,  stretching  out  their  hands 
and  grasping  the  hands  of  men  and  women 
of  like  spirit  with  themselves,  they  built 
up  a  strong  association  that  has  been  fruit- 
ful of  good,  and  on  which,  in  my  humble 
opinion,  the  blessings  of  God  have  abun- 
dantly rested." 

Excellent  as  is  this  statement,  and  hon- 
orable as  is  the  record,  the  governor 
necessarily  omitted  one  of  the  finest  ele- 
ments in  the  history — in  fact  he  was  un- 
conscious of  it  —  the  confidence,  enthusi- 
asm, and  loyalty  kindled  by  the  personality 
of  the  governor  himself.  There  was  that 
about  him  which  defies  analysis,  which 
eludes  definition,  but  which  is  found  in 
those  rare  characters,  who,  like  Philip 
Sydney,  Chevalier  Bayard,  or  Robert 
Louis  Stevenson,  gain  our  confidence,  win 
our  admiration,  kindle  our  affection,  and 
who,  in  their  unconsciousness,  make  us 
198 


THE   WAR  WITH   SPAIN 

conscious  that  we  are  in  chivalric  com- 
pany. 

Roger  Wolcott  was  a  practical  New 
Englander  with  a  dash  of  idealism,  with- 
out which  no  New  England  character  is 
complete.  From  boyhood  he  gained  the 
affection  of  all  sorts  of  people.  He  drank 
deep,  in  poems,  history,  and  the  Bible,  of 
chivalric  life.  In  form  and  countenance, 
in  presence  and  atmosphere,  he  was  of  na- 
ture's noblest. 

When,  then,  a  transport  loaded  with  re- 
turning soldiers  steamed  slowly  up  the  har- 
bor, and  when  the  men,  sick  and  wasted 
with  disease,  caught  sight  of  the  governor, 
or  in  their  cots  between  decks  heard  his 
voice,  it  was  as  if  they  had  in  one  moment 
been  carried  into  the  very  heart  of  New 
England,  to  health  and  home. 

Was  a  returning  regiment  expected  by 
rail?  The  governor  would  take  train  to 
199 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

Springfield  and  be  among  the  first  to  wel- 
come the  men.  He  led  the  cheers,  and  in 
person  directed  how  everything  should  be 
done  for  their  comfort.  A  message  from 
the  lower  harbor  that  the  Bay  State,  Vig- 
ilant, or  Olivette  was  signaled,  prompted 
him  to  drop  official  business  and  in  all 
haste  reach  the  dock  or  take  the  tug  to 
meet  the  men,  tenderly  care  for  the  sick, 
place  them  in  ambulances,  or  assist  them 
to  their  homes. 

At  the  hospitals  he  visited  them.  In  the 
wan  faces  and  wasted  forms  his  sympa- 
thies saw  again  his  brother  Huntington 
lying  upon  his  bed  at  Milton,  sinking 
into  rest.  His  natural  reserve  was  broken 
through,  his  voice  became  tender,  and  he 
told  them  the  story  of  his  boyhood  sor- 
row. Then,  as  one  and  another  soldier 
died,  he  sent  to  those  in  the  home  messages 
weighted  with  sympathy.  Anxious  parents 
200 


THE  WAR  WITH   SPAIN 

and  friends  followed  him  to  his  home  at 
Blue  Hill.  There  they  received  his  hospi- 
tality and  hopeful  word.  They  all  spoke  of 
him  as  "  our  Governor;  "  they  sought  him, 
however,  for  himself.  His  solicitude  ran 
out  to  every  soldier.  Men  from  Maine  and 
New  Hampshire,  passing  through  Boston, 
experienced  his  kindness.  "Extend  the 
same  treatment  to  the  regulars,"  was  his 
message  to  those  who  were  caring  for 
Massachusetts  soldiers. 

Thus  was  Roger  Wolcott  bound  by  ties 
of  affection  and  sympathy  to  thousands  of 
men,  women,  and  children  throughout  the 
State.  His  friends  saw  that  he  was  work- 
ing hard;  citizens  knew  that  he  was  ad- 
ministering the  high  office  in  trying  times 
with  ability  and  devotion;  the  people  were 
feeling  the  touch  of  his  sympathetic  heart. 

The  fourteenth  of  October,  1899,  marked 
the  closing  incident  of  the  war. 

201 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

It  was  a  brilliant  day.  The  population 
from  all  parts  of  the  State  had  poured  into 
Boston,  for  it  was  the  day  on  which  the 
Commonwealth  and  the  city  gave  their 
welcome  to  Admiral  Dewey,  the  hero  of 
Manila.  The  morning  was  given  up  to 
the  procession.  The  whole  state  militia 
was  in  line.  Later  the  officers  and  sailors 
of  the  flagship  Olympia  led  the  column 
through  the  gates  of  the  Common  to  the 
parade  ground.  The  governor  took  his  po- 
sition on  the  slope  of  the  hill  just  below 
the  soldiers'  and  sailors'  monument.  Two 
hundred  trumpeters  gave  the  call  to  col- 
ors, and  seventeen  sergeants  with  their 
colors  stood  before  the  governor.  The 
commanding  officers  took  their  positions 
in  front;  and  one  by  one  the  officers  turned 
the  colors  over  to  the  governor,  who,  in 
accepting  them,  said :  — 

"  On  behalf  of  the  Commonwealth   of 

202 


THE  WAR  WITH   SPAIN 

Massachusetts  and  in  her  name,  I  receive 
into  her  perpetual  custody  these  flags  borne 
by  Massachusetts  men  in  a  righteous  and 
triumphant  cause,  and  emblematic  of  the 
power  of  the  nation  and  of  the  fortitude 
and  valor  of  her  sons. 

"  Worn  with  service  on  land  and  afloat, 
in  camp,  in  garrison,  and  in  battle,  their 
lustre  is  undimmed  and  their  radiance  un- 
tarnished. In  the  presence  of  our  honored 
and  illustrious  guest  and  of  the  military 
organizations  which  cherished  and  guarded 
them,  with  popular  acclaim,  and  to  the 
strains  of  martial  music,  they  are  returned 
with  fitting  honors  to  the  Commonwealth 
which  a  few  short  months  ago  sent  forth 
their  defenders  with  prayers  and  tears,  and 
which,  alas!  proudly  mourns  many  of  her 
sons  who  return  not  with  them. 

"  To  officers  and  enlisted  men  she  now 
publicly  and  gratefully  acknowledges  her 
203 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

obligation  for  the  courage  and  fortitude 
which  have  added  to  her  historic  fame, 
and  have  borne  witness  that  the  memories 
of  '76,  of  1812,  and  of  1861,  have  not 
been  unheeded  by  her  children.  Like  their 
sires,  the  loyal  and  generous  youth  of  1898 
showed  themselves  quick  to  hear  the  sum- 
mons to  duty  and  danger,  and  ready  to  suf- 
fer and  to  die  if  need  be,  wheresoever  that 
summons  might  lead  them. 

"  The  gain  will  be  worth  the  sacrifice. 
To  have  banished  oppression,  and  to  have 
opened  the  way  to  health  and  order  and 
justice  among  communities  which  for  cen- 
turies have  felt  the  iron  heel  of  despotism, 
will  be  the  justification  of  history  and  the 
praise  of  future  time. 

"  So  long  as  a  single  thread  of   their 

silken   fabric  resists  the  slow  ravages  of 

time,  these  banners  shall  be  jealously  and 

reverently  guarded  by  the  Commonwealth, 

204 


THE  WAR  WITH   SPAIN 

together  with  the  precious  memorials  of 
an  earlier  and  more  stubborn  conflict, 
mutely  but  eloquently  to  teach  their  les- 
son of  patriotism  and  loyalty,  and  to  breathe 
their  inspiration  to  the  generations  that  are 
to  come  after  us." 


205 


CHAPTER    VIII 

THE   LAST   YEAR 

'OR  ten  years  Roger  Wolcott 
had  served  the  Common- 
wealth: three  years  as  repre- 
sentative, three  as  lieutenant- 
governor,  one  as  lieutenant-governor  and 
acting  governor,  and  three  as  governor. 
He  had  brought  to  each  position  high 
character,  ability,  and  devotion;  he  had 
grown  steadily  in  force,  wisdom,  and 
statesmanship;  he  had  gained  the  affec- 
tion as  well  as  the  confidence  of  the  peo- 
ple of  the  Commonwealth,  and  his  name 
was  held  in  respect  at  Washington,  and 
in  many  other  parts  of  the  country.  His 
own  wishes  coincided  with  the  traditions 
206 


THE   LAST   YEAR 

of  the  State,  that  he  should  lay  down  his 
office  of  governor  at  the  end  of  three 
years. 

Seven  continuous  years  of  such  consci- 
entious and  efficient  service  as  he  had 
given  draw  upon  the  vitality,  and  tend  to 
age  a  man.  On  the  last  day  of  public  duty, 
Mr.  Wolcott  left  his  home  on  Common- 
wealth Avenue,  and  walked  to  the  State 
House  with  the  same  elastic  step  that 
was  his  at  the  first.  The  body  was  erect, 
the  smile  and  bow  were  as  bright  and 
cordial  as  ever;  the  hair  was  white,  but 
that  was  an  inheritance;  the  color  of  his 
face  was  bright  and  fresh.  It  was  clear, 
however,  to  those  who  were  near  him,  that 
he  needed  a  change,  and  he  himself  was 
anxious  to  break  away  from  associations 
which  had  been  happy,  but  which  re- 
minded him  only  of  work.  His  children, 
too,  had  grown  up  during  his  public  life, 
207 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

and  although  he  was  a  devoted  father  in 
the  busiest  days,  he  wanted  to  know  them 
better,  and  to  have  some  months  of  com- 
plete companionship  with  them  and  his 
wife,  who  had  been  a  strong  support  to 
him  in  his  public  duties  as  well  as  in  the 
home.  He  anticipated,  with  the  zest  of  a 
boy  before  the  holidays,  a  trip  with  his 
family  in  Europe. 

Mr.  Wolcott  was  a  man  of  domestic 
tastes  and  social  temperament.  To  those 
who  knew  him  intimately,  his  public  life 
was  the  incidental  expression  of  his  char- 
acter, laid  upon  him  by  the  people,  and 
entered  on  by  him  from  a  sense  of  duty, 
public  spirit,  and  the  laudable  ambition  to 
make  himself  felt  for  the  good  of  others. 
The  centre  of  his  life  was  his  home,  and 
not  the  State  House:  the  chair  that  best 
suited  him  was  not  in  the  executive  cham- 
ber, but  in  the  circle  of  his  nearest  friends. 
208 


THE   LAST   YEAR 

Like  his  father,  he  made  his  home  in 
Boston,  and  at  Blue  Hill,  Milton.  In  each 
place  he  built  a  house  for  himself,  near 
enough  to  his  parents  to  be  in  and  out 
through  the  day.  Until  the  death  of  his 
mother  in  1899,  his  devotion  to  her  was 
constant  beyond  measure.  Simple,  almost 
severe  in  his  tastes,  he  desired  comfort,  but 
not  luxury.  He  was  careful  in  expendi- 
ture, exact  in  all  money  matters ;  realizing 
like  a  true  Yankee  the  value  of  money, 
and  desiring  to  give  to  his  children  an  ex- 
ample in  judicious  living.  As  soon  as  he 
could  escape  from  work,  he  sought  his 
wife  and  children.  At  Blue  Hill,  it  was 
his  delight  to  explore  the  by-roads,  drop 
in  on  the  neighbors,  and  greet  his  fellow- 
townsmen.  "  A  decently  constituted  man 
goes  back  to  nature  as  iron  to  a  magnet," 
he  used  to  say.  In  all  the  interests  of  the 
community  he  was  interested,  the  church, 
209 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

the  school,  the  roads,  and  town  improve- 
ments. When  an  evening  was  free  in 
Boston,  it  was  given  to  his  home  or  to  the 
company  of  his  nearer  friends.  He  be- 
lieved in  the  abiding  influence  of  the  home. 
He  always  retained  his  boyish  simplicity, 
and  counted  no  time  lost  that  was  given 
to  the  most  trivial  interest  of  his  children, 
or  to  the  answering  of  every  question.  In 
their  names  —  Roger,  William  Prescott, 
Samuel  Huntington,  Cornelia  Frothing- 
ham,  and  Oliver  —  he  gathered  the  family 
associations  of  past  and  present,  and  he  de- 
lighted to  watch  the  family  characteristics 
revealing  themselves.  To  Mrs.  Wolcott 
he  always  turned  with  perfect  confidence 
for  sympathy  and  support.  In  the  first 
years  of  marriage,  a  sorrow  had  crossed 
their  life  in  the  death  of  the  first  son,  Hunt- 
ington Frothingham. 

Among  his  friends,  he  was  at  fifty  what 

2IO 


THE   LAST   YEAR 

he  was  at  twenty,  simple,  frank,  alert, 
bright,  full  of  wit  and  story,  or  serious  in 
conversation.  His  force  and  purity  of 
character  created  an  atmosphere  in  what- 
ever company  he  entered.  His  presence 
never  suppressed  fun  or  light  talk,  and  the 
gayest  welcomed  his  coming;  the  tone, 
however,  was  always  pure,  elevated,  and 
refined.  He  never  lost  the  reserve  of  his 
youth :  very  few,  perhaps  none,  of  his 
friends  ever  felt  that  they  reached  his 
inmost  self.  He  knew  it  and  regretted  it; 
but  the  reserve  was  something  born  with 
him,  and  no  doubt  it  gave  him  an  advan- 
tage in  some  public  associations. 

He  was  sensitive  to  the  feelings  and 
prejudices  of  others,  and  to  the  conditions 
about  him.  It  was  this  that  gave  him  the 
tact  to  extricate  himself  from  difficult  situ- 
ations, and  to  say  the  right  thing  at  the 
right  time  in  his  public  speeches.  He 

211 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

never  said  of  a  man  behind  his  back  what 
he  would  not  say  to  his  face;  and  before 
he  criticised  or  condemned  a  man,  was 
always  sure  of  his  facts. 

He  believed  in  frankness  in  public  as 
well  as  private  life.  When  the  Republican 
party  was  hesitating  as  to  its  position  on 
the  question  of  gold  and  silver,  he  said,  at 
a  dinner  in  honor  of  ex-Governor  Bout- 
well's  eightieth  birthday:  — 

"  I  believe,  further,  speaking  as  a  Re- 
publican to  Republicans,  that  it  would  be 
well-nigh  fatal  to  the  Republican  party  to 
go  into  the  next  Congressional  election 
without  having  shown  that  it,  at  all  events, 
whether  it  succeeds  or  not,  is  placed  with- 
out question  in  the  line  of  aggressive  hon- 
esty in  legislation. 

"  I  believe  and  have  always  believed, 
whether  temporary  defeat  or  partial  lack 
of  success  comes  or  not  that,  on  a  question 


THE   LAST   YEAR 

of  that  nature,  an  appeal  to  the  educated 
and  intelligent  honesty  of  the  people  of 
the  United  States  is  absolutely  sure  to  re- 
sult in  victory  in  the  long  run.  There 
is  honesty  abroad  through  the  land,  my 
friends,  just  exactly  as  there  is  heroism 
among  the  people  of  the  United  States." 

He  had  a  large  share  of  the  Puritan  con- 
science, which  drove  him,  but  drove  him 
happily  and  by  his  own  consent,  from  duty 
to  duty  throughout  the  day.  Even  plea- 
sure, friendly  talk,  and  "  loafing "  had  to 
him  their  uses  in  enabling  him  to  do 
better  work  the  next  day.  Such  a  rea- 
sonable conscience  creates,  perhaps,  the 
most  healthy,  happy,  and  useful  manhood. 

He  left  his  home  in  the  morning  earlier 
than  most  of  his  busy  friends,  and,  after 
a  brisk  walk,  greeting  his  neighbors,  the 
cabmen,  school  children,  policemen,  and 
other  citizens  as  he  passed  up  the  avenue, 
213 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

through  the  Public  Garden,  and  by  the 
Common,  was  at  his  desk  and  well  into 
his  mail  before  nine  o'clock.  The  list  of 
his  public  duties  in  his  early  manhood 
reveals  the  industrious  nature  of  the  man. 
Whether  in  office  or  out,  he  worked  up  to 
the  limit  of  his  strength;  he  too  often 
worked  beyond  it.  Strong  and  vigorous 
as  he  looked,  his  physique  was  too  fine 
and  nervous  to  stand  great  strain,  and  four 
attacks  of  pneumonia  during  manhood  gave 
him  warning  that  there  was  a  limit  to  his 
endurance. 

From  his  earliest  childhood,  religion 
was  an  element  in  the  daily  life  of  the 
home.  His  parents  were  devout  Unitari- 
ans. Every  morning  was  opened  with 
family  prayer,  at  which  parents,  boys,  and 
guests  read  in  order  the  verses  of  a  chap- 
ter of  the  Bible.  Then  all  joined  in  the 
Lord's  Prayer.  On  Sunday  the  piano  was 
214 


THE   LAST   YEAR 

closed,  and  everybody  went  morning  and 
afternoon  to  church.  Strict  as  were  the 
religious  habits  of  the  household,  there 
were  such  parental  influence  and  loving 
guidance  as  to  win  the  sympathy  of  the 
boys.  To  Roger  Wolcott  religion  was  a 
natural  and  essential  element  of  life.  His 
faith  was  simple.  He  had  little  interest 
in  dogma  or  the  differences  of  theologies. 
He  did,  however,  have  a  profound  belief 
in  the  teachings  of  the  Christian  faith  as 
he  understood  them.  He  had  no  sympa- 
thy with  the  idea  that  faith  and  the  church 
were  matters  of  taste  or  convenience.  To 
him  the  Christian  Church,  representing 
the  Christian  faith,  was  essential  to  the 
welfare  of  society  and  to  the  upbuilding  of 
men's  characters.  He  believed  in  the 
church  and  in  public  worship.  He  was 
a  communicant.  Every  Sunday  he  went 
with  his  family  to  service  at  King's  Chapel 
215 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

in  Boston  or  in  the  Unitarian  Church  at 
Milton,  and  every  month  received  the 
communion. 

His  addresses  at  the  annual  festivals  of 
the  Unitarian  Association  were  always 
keenly  anticipated,  and  they  reveal  some- 
thing of  his  religious  attitude. 

Called  upon  to  welcome  the  clergy  in 
behalf  of  the  laity  in  1889,  he  said:  — 

"  Sweep  away,  if  you  must,  literal  faith 
in  the  Old  or  the  New  Testament,  belief 
in  the  miracles,  or  whatever  else  science 
or  scholarship  shall  undermine;  but  re- 
member always  that  the  life  and  teachings 
of  Christ  are  the  noblest,  the  most  sacred 
facts  within  the  knowledge  of  man,  and 
are  to  be  approached,  never  with  flippancy 
or  sensationalism,  but  with  the  bowed 
knee  of  reverence  and  faith." 

Again,  in  1893,  he  said:  "Flippancy  in 
the  pulpit  and  that  futile  straining  after 
216 


THE   LAST   YEAR 

effect  which  aims  to  make  the  messenger 
of  greater  import  than  the  message,  are  to 
me  abhorrent.  The  congregation  demands 
of  its  minister  sincerity  of  life  and  conse- 
cration and  reverence  of  spirit.  If  these 
be  lacking,  brilliancy  of  intellect,  elo- 
quence, learning,  will  never  possess  the 
lunar  force  which  heaps  up  the  billows 
and  draws  the  tides." 

He  said  in  1897:  "And  so  we  recog- 
nize that  our  religion  rests  not  on  dogma 
or  creed.  We  recognize  that  true  religion 
is  a  fair  blossom  that  blooms  in  the  heart 
of  him  who  strives  to  pattern  his  life  on 
the  teachings  and  on  the  life  of  Jesus 
Christ.  We  recognize  all  who  strive  hum- 
bly to  follow  in  his  footsteps.  We  do  not 
limit  the  title  of  i  Christian '  to  one  pro- 
fession or  to  another.  We  recognize  all 
good  men  of  every  profession.  We  know 
that  as  good  a  Christian  as  stands  in  a 
217 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

pulpit  or  sits  in  the  pew  visits,  as  the  lov- 
ing physician,  the  bed  of  suffering.  We 
know  that  he  who  strives  in  the  court  of 
justice  to  lay  down  the  rules  of  everlasting 
right  that  shall  regulate  the  conduct  of 
man  and  man,  that  the  citizen  who  gives 
loyal  service  to  the  State,  that  all  men  in- 
spired with  like  purpose,  are  good  Chris- 
tians." 

The  bond  between  himself  and  Har- 
vard University  was  one  of  the  strong  and 
happy  influences  of  his  life.  His  college 
career,  his  oration,  and  his  services  as 
instructor  and  overseer  are  already  famil- 
iar to  us. 

He  always  felt  it  a  privilege  to  respond 
to  the  call  of  the  University.  Was  it  to 
welcome  the  Freshmen  in  Sanders  Theatre 
on  the  first  Monday  evening  of  the  term  ? 
He  seized  the  opportunity  to  preach  his 
gospel  of  the  college  life  as  a  preparation 
218 


THE   LAST   YEAR 

for  the  service  of  the  State.  Did  he  pre- 
side at  a  Harvard- Yale  debate?  By  his 
tact  he  kindled  the  best  of  feeling  and 
softened  the  disappointment  of  defeat. 
Even  in  one  of  the  great  football  games, 
he  with  Theodore  Roosevelt,  then  gov- 
ernor of  New  York,  stood  before  the  thou- 
sands of  students  and  graduates  and  led 
their  cheers  and  songs. 

When  the  class  of  '70  celebrated  their 
twenty-fifth  anniversary  in  1895,  Roger 
Wolcott  was  of  course  chief  marshal. 
Every  graduate  who  was  there  remembers 
the  ardor  with  which,  mounted  on  a  chair 
in  the  yard  near  Massachusetts  Hall,  he 
called  off  the  classes  in  their  order,  and 
with  what  enthusiasm  his  ringing  voice  led 
the  cheers  at  the  dinner  in  Memorial  Hall. 
It  was  one  of  the  happiest  days  of  his  life, 
for  his  position  and  popularity  were  a 
recognition  from  those  by  whom  he  was 
219 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

best  known  and  whose  judgment  he  most 
esteemed. 

For  four  successive  Commencements 
he  represented  the  Commonwealth.  Es- 
corted from  Boston,  according  to  ancient 
custom,  by  the  Lancers  with  their  bril- 
liant uniforms,  he  entered  the  college  gate 
amid  the  applause  of  the  graduates.  In 
the  theatre,  during  the  procession  to  Me- 
morial Hall,  and  at  the  dinner,  he  was 
always  sure  of  cordial  greetings. 

Behind  his  official  words  was  always 
the  tender  tone  of  a  son  receiving  the  wel- 
come of  his  alma  mater.  Upon  receiving 
his  first  welcome  as  the  representative  of 
the  Commonwealth  in  1896  he  said:  — 

"It  has  always  seemed  to  me  that, 
should  it  ever  fall  to  me  to  receive  words 
of  commendation  at  this  feast,  I  should 
prefer  to  receive  them  for  something  done 
in  the  public  service,  that  makes  to-day 

220 


THE   LAST   YEAR 

the  strongest  demand  on  the  educated 
man.  I  would  not  obscure  the  services  of 
the  quiet  scholar  and  teacher,  the  physi- 
cian, the  lawyer,  the  scientist:  I  mean 
something  a  little  different.  All  of  this 
service  can  be  rendered,  and  is  rendered, 
in  every  country  and  under  every  form  of 
government,  but  what  I  wish  to  emphasize 
is  that  the  government  of  America  makes 
further  demands  upon  citizenship,  de- 
mands that  I  see  answered  by  the  men 
here. 

"I  need  not  speak  of  the  service  done  by 
lawyers  and  business  men.  To  the  college 
man  there  must  be  impossible  the  spirit  of 
snobbishness.  Leave  that  to  the  merely 
rich.  In  him  there  must  be  no  chilling  of 
enthusiasm,  no  enfeebled  patriotism.  The 
education  that  Harvard  gives  must  arouse 
enthusiasm,  kindle  ardor,  add  truer  flames 
to  the  altar  of  patriotism. 

221 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

"  The  graduates  of  Harvard  are  render- 
ing this  exalted  service  all  over  the  land. 
Do  not  mistake  that  I  refer  to  those  in 
office  simply.  It  is  the  spirit,  not  the 
office,  by  which  this  college  would  show 
her  graduates  to  be  true  to  the  highest 
lessons  of  her  past." 

His  last  official  message  to  the  univer- 
sity in  1899  was  characteristic  in  style  and 
thought :  — 

"This  stately  and  historic  Common- 
wealth comes  here  and  greets  the  gracious 
and  benign  figure  of  the  University  whom 
we,  her  sons,  love  to  reverence  and  honor 
as  our  alma  mater.  The  '  cloth  of  gold ' 
is  made  up  of  the  woven  tapestry  which 
represents  the  history  of  the  Common- 
wealth and  the  University.  It  is  red  with 
the  deep  crimson  of  manhood;  it  is  white 
with  the  clear  color  of  a  pure  life  and  high 
endeavor.  And  here  and  there,  every- 

222 


THE   LAST   YEAR 

where  shot  through  the  fabric,  are  the 
golden  threads  that  tell  of  the  few  happy 
lives  that  have  attained  distinction  and  are 
remembered  as  the  years  pass  by. 

"  In  that  great  ode,  which  seems  to  add 
something  of  even  greater  consecration  to 
this  hall,  already  made  sacred  by  the  lives 
it  commemorated,  Lowell  spoke  of  the 
white  shields  of  expectation  hung  upon 
the  arms  of  generous  youth  and  catching 
the  rays  of  morn.  Upon  these  walls  hang 
not  only  the  white  shields  of  expectation, 
but  also  the  dinted,  but  unsullied  shields 
of  high  attainment  and  noble  achievement. 

"If  we  allow  the  imagination  to  travel 
beyond  the  mystery  of  death,  we  may  be- 
lieve that  here  are  assembled  to-day  not 
only  the  living  sons  of  the  Commonwealth 
and  of  the  University,  but  also  those 
knightly  spirits  who,  in  the  past,  have  won 
the  golden  spur  of  noble  manhood,  and  of 
223 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

generous  service  to  Commonwealth  and  to 
University. 

"  If  the  sphinx  of  the  coming  days  re- 
clines silent  and  without  utterance,  with 
no  prophetic  CEdipus  to  read  the  riddles 
of  the  future  that  lie  within  her  closed  lips, 
nevertheless  may  Commonwealth  and  Uni- 
versity alike  face  the  problems  of  the 
future,  whatever  they  may  be,  not  with 
despair,  nor  with  despondency,  nor  with 
fear,  but  with  the  high  and  lofty  courage 
which  is  born  of  conscious  strength." 

On  the  next  day,  however,  he  spoke  not 
for  the  Commonwealth,  but  for  himself.  It 
was  at  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  dinner.  Both 
orator  and  poet  had  touched  upon  national 
questions,  and  had  expressed  in  somewhat 
pessimistic  tones  the  outlook  for  the  fu- 
ture. Roger  Wolcott  was  by  temperament 
and  conviction  an  optimist.  Intelligent 
and  timely  criticism  he  respected;  but  the 
224 


THE   LAST   YEAR 

critical  attitude  which  seeks  faults  rather 
than  virtues  offended  him.  Only  a  week 
before,  at  Holy  Cross  College,  he  had 
spoken  from  his  own  experience :  — 

"  If  I  have  learned  nothing  else  since  I 
have  held  office,  I  have  learned  to  believe 
in  the  American  people.  I  have  learned 
to  believe  that  virtue  is  more  common 
than  vice ;  that  noble  manhood  and  woman- 
hood have  not  died  out  from  us.  I  believe 
God  has  made  a  law  of  progress,  not  a  law 
of  retrogression,  and  I  urge  you,  young 
men,  not  to  give  way  to  pessimism.  Be 
courageous,  be  hopeful.  Believe  in  the 
destiny  of  America;  believe  in  the  purpose 
of  Almighty  God;  believe  with  all  hope 
in  the  future." 

When  Mr.  Wolcott  was  called  upon  to 
speak,  it  was  evident  that  his  deepest  con- 
victions of  patriotism  and  hope  had  been 
touched  and  fired.  He  had  a  temper  of 
225 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

which  he  had  had  the  mastery  for  many 
years;  it  did  not  master  him  now.  He 
gave  his  convictions,  however,  freedom  of 
utterance,  and  spoke  with  warmth  and 
power.  He  presented  the  nation  in  her 
nobler  features,  and  appealed  for  a  deeper 
loyalty  to  her  chosen  leaders.  The  sun- 
light, pouring  through  the  windows,  was 
blinding  some  of  those  at  the  upper  table: 
a  student,  throwing  off  his  college  gown, 
had  pinned  it  across  the  sash  to  shut  out 
the  light.  In  the  full  flood  of  his  speech, 
appealing  to  the  courage  and  loyalty  of 
educated  men,  Mr.  Wolcott  caught  the 
allegory,  and  pointing  to  the  window, 
said,  "  Do  not  let  the  academic  gown 
(absit  omen)  shut  out  the  sunlight."  As 
he  started  to  leave  the  hall,  the  whole 
assembly  rose  and  cheered  enthusiasti- 
cally. Little  they  realized  that  they  were 
giving  him  his  last  farewell  from  Harvard. 
226 


THE   LAST   YEAR 

He  had  spoken  his  message  in  word  and 
in  life.  Amidst  the  generous  applause  of 
Harvard,  he  passed  out  of  the  door  of  Mas- 
sachusetts Hall  and  through  the  College 
gate. 

While  Mr.  Wolcott  was  planning  his 
trip  to  Europe,  his  friends  and  a  great 
body  of  citizens  were  questioning  how  the 
nation  could  make  use  of  such  an  efficient 
servant. 

It  is  one  of  the  glories  of  our  demo- 
cracy, and  at  the  same  time  one  of  its  mis- 
fortunes, that  after  a  man  has  held  high 
office  he  returns  to  private  citizenship. 
Unless  there  happens  to  come  some  change 
in  the  movement  of  political  life  and  offices, 
the  State  or  the  nation  may  lose  the  bene- 
fit of  such  a  man's  large  experience,  high 
character,  and  public  service. 

It  was  well  known  that  Mr.  Wolcott 
had  the  laudable  ambition  to  serve  the 
227 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

nation  when  he  could  do  so  consistently 
with  other  duties.  In  fact,  the  one  compel- 
ling motive  of  his  life  was  that  of  public 
service.  He  never  sought  an  office,  but 
when  an  office  came  to  him,  he  accepted  it 
with  a  sense  of  pleasure  and  gratification  as 
an  opportunity  to  use  his  powers  in  congen- 
ial work,  and  in  the  service  of  his  country. 

For  the  present  he  was  happy  in  his 
freedom.  He  was  conscious  that  he  had 
done  his  work  well,  and  that  the  people 
were  grateful  to  him  and  trusted  him.  The 
future  could  take  care  of  itself.  A  dinner 
given  him  by  a  number  of  his  old  friends, 
who  were  also  representative  citizens,  was 
a  pleasant  token  to  him  of  appreciation  by 
those  in  whose  confidence  and  affection 
he  took  delight.  Congratulations  through 
the  press  and  by  letter  continued  to  come 
to  him. 

Five  weeks  after  his  retirement,  Presi- 
228 


THE   LAST   YEAR 

dent  McKinley  offered  him  an  honorable 
though  arduous  position  upon  the  Philip- 
pine Commission,  which  was  to  have 
authority  to  organize  civil  government 
throughout  that  great  archipelago.  The 
work  of  the  commission  interested  him 
deeply,  and  the  great  opportunity  for  serv- 
ing his  fellow-men  appealed  to  him,  but  his 
duty  to  his  family  compelled  him  to  de- 
cline. Citizens  continued  to  seize  him  for 
public  functions.  He  presided  at  a  public 
meeting  to  prepare  for  the  reception  by 
Harvard  University  of  1400  Cuban  teach- 
ers. He  presided  also  at  a  great  dinner 
of  the  National  Association  of  Manufac- 
turers, at  which  several  members  of  the 
President's  cabinet  were  present,  and 
spoke  upon  the  future  relations  of  the 
nation  to  the  Philippines :  — 

"If  our  aim  shall  be  only  to  see  how 
much  we  can  get  out  of  these  new  posses- 
229 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

sions  by  extortion,  trickery,  or  corruption, 
then  will  our  occupancy  of  them  be  a 
curse  to  their  inhabitants,  and  a  shame  to 
us  and  our  children.  If  our  purpose  shall 
be  to  lift  them  to  a  higher  civilization,  to 
give  them  education,  honest  administration, 
peace  and  industrial  prosperity,  with  an 
ever-increasing  degree  of  self-government, 
then  will  these  years  of  the  nineteenth 
century  add  one  other  lustrous  page  to  our 
national  story. 

"  It  is  not  given  to  man  to  see  with  cer- 
tainty into  the  future,  but  unless  I  mistake 
the  character  and  purposes  of  my  country- 
men, they  will  meet  this  new  crisis  and 
these  novel  responsibilities  as  they  have 
met  every  other  great  crisis  in  our  history, 
with  seriousness  of  judgment,  right  pur- 
pose, intelligence,  and  courage;  and  the 
day  will  come  in  the  not  distant  future 
when  these  backward  peoples  shall  grate- 
230 


THE   LAST   YEAR 

fully  concede  that  the  great  republic  of  the 
west  is  not  only  powerful  and  just,  but 
generous  and  beneficent  as  well." 

Early  in  May  he,  with  his  family,  sailed 
for  Europe.  Visiting  Paris  and  the  Expo- 
sition, to  which  Mrs.  Wolcott,  represent- 
ing the  department  of  charities  and  cor- 
rection, was  a  delegate  from  the  national 
government,  and  from  the  city  of  Boston, 
they  passed  on  to  Holland,  Germany, 
and  Switzerland.  Returning  by  way  of 
England,  they  arrived  home  on  November 
4,  in  time  for  Mr.  Wolcott,  after  making 
a  campaign  speech  the  next  evening  at 
Quincy,  to  vote,  on  November  6,  for 
President  McKinley  and  for  his  friend 
and  co-worker,  Governor  Crane,  and  for 
the  Republican  party,  of  which  he  was  a 
presidential  elector. 

While  he  was  in  Europe,  Mr.  Wolcott 
received  from  the  President  an  appoint- 
231 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

ment  to  be  ambassador  to  Italy.  This  was 
welcomed  with  hearty  commendation  by 
the  press  throughout  the  country.  With 
his  boys  at  school  and  in  college,  he  did 
not  feel  at  liberty  to  separate  himself  from 
them :  for  the  present,  home  was  his  place, 
and  he  declined  the  mission. 

The  city  of  Washington  was  preparing 
for  the  centennial  celebration  of  the  na- 
tional capital,  on  December  9.  The  gov- 
ernors of  the  States  and  the  national  offi- 
cials were  to  be  there.  Mr.  Wolcott  had 
been  selected  as  one  of  the  four  speakers. 

On  the  sixteenth  of  November  he  was 
taken  ill.  Symptoms-  of  typhoid  fever, 
which  thirty-five  years  ago  had  laid  his 
brother  low,  appeared.  His  good  consti- 
tution, temperate  life,  and  all  other  condi- 
tions, seemed  to  point  towards  a  favorable 
result.  The  disease  steadily  increased  its 
hold,  the  strength  yielded,  life  ebbed  out. 
232 


THE   LAST   YEAR 

On  December  21,  before  the  people  real- 
ized the  danger,  Roger  Wolcott  fell  asleep. 

For  the  moment  the  Commonwealth 
seemed  to  stand  still.  It  was  in  the  after- 
noon. The  sun  dropped  to  its  setting.  The 
news  spread  fast,  faster  than  the  press 
could  carry  it.  Word  went  from  city  to 
town,  from  town  to  village.  The  mill- 
hand,  leaving  work  with  his  dinner-pail  in 
hand,  stopped  as  he  heard  the  news,  and 
then  passed  on  to  tell  his  fellows  of  the 
kind  word  once  spoken  to  him  by  the  gov- 
ernor. The  children  in  the  homes  sorrowed 
as  they  recalled  his  bright  greeting  to  them 
when  he  passed  through  the  town.  The 
veterans  of  two  wars,  citizens  of  both  par- 
ties and  of  all  creeds,  mourned  as  for 
the  loss  of  one  of  the  household.  "  Our 
governor  is  gone,"  they  said  one  to  an- 
other. 

It  was  a  time  when  the  depths  of  senti- 
233 


ROGER   WOLCOTT 

merit  are  touched.  He  had  been  a  faithful 
servant  of  the  State,  a  wise  administrator, 
a  just  officer,  and  a  strong  leader.  He  had 
upheld  in  political  life  the  banner  of  purity 
and  honor.  He  had  done  his  work  well. 
The  people  loved  him,  however,  not  so 
much  for  what  he  had  done,  as  for  what 
he  was.  He  was  a  true  man,  transparent, 
faithful,  and  chivalric.  Moral  force  and 
spiritual  light  transfigured  his  life  and 
countenance  and  made  them  beautiful 
and  radiant.  He  had  entered  into  the 
hearts  of  the  people  and  dwelt  there. 

Christmas-eve  was  a  day  of  mourning 
in  Massachusetts.  Noontime,  the  day  be- 
fore Christmas,  is  usually  the  busiest  hour 
for  shops  in  the  year.  At  that  hour  the 
shops  were  closed  and  silent.  Trinity 
Church,  which  had  been  offered  for  the 
funeral  services,  was  filled  with  a  repre- 
sentative and  sorrowing  company.  Crowds 
234 


THE   LAST   YEAR 

pressed  about  the  doors.  Details  of  mili- 
tary organizations  were  present  on  duty, 
but  there  was  no  military  pomp.  All  was 
as  simple  and  sincere  as  the  character  of 
him  who  lay  in  the  choir  of  the  church. 
His  two  pastors  of  King's  Chapel,  Boston, 
and  the  Unitarian  Church  at  Milton,  read 
the  service,  and  the  body  was  borne  forth. 

Huntington's  mother  had  written  him  in 
1865:  "After  the  war  is  over,  we  shall 
need  wise  men,  pure  patriots  in  the  coun- 
cils of  the  country,  and  high-minded  gen- 
tlemen, men  of  large  culture,  refinement 
of  taste,  Christian  integrity,  and  virtue, 
more  than  the  soldier." 

From  the  dying  breath  of  Huntington, 
Roger  caught  the  life  of  patriotism  and 
service.  His  brother's  image  went  with 
him  day  by  day,  and  gave  him  inspiration. 
The  body  of  Roger  was  laid  at  rest  beside 
that  of  his  brother:  fit  types  of  Massachu- 
235 


ROGER    WOLCOTT 

setts  in  these  two  generations  —  a  soldier 
who  in  war  and  bloody  strife  gave  his  life 
to  save  his  country;  a  citizen  who,  no  less 
chivalrous,  gave  himself  to  upbuild  his 
country  in  unity,  peace,  and  righteousness. 

In  a  noble  memorial  service  citizens  of 
the  Commonwealth,  officials  of  the  nation 
and  State,  representatives  of  the  religious, 
military  and  patriotic  societies,  and  mem- 
bers of  the  chief  musical  associations  of 
Boston  joined  in  a  noble  service  in  his 
memory.  The  governor  of  the  Common- 
wealth presided,  and  Senator  Henry  Cabot 
Lodge  was  the  orator.  The  mass  of  peo- 
ple, the  prayer,  oration,  and  requiem,  gave 
eloquent  and  touching  expression  to  the 
uplifting  power  of  his  character. 

Knowing  that  the  people  wished  to  erect 
some  memorial,  a  committee  of  citizens 
offered  to  receive  gifts.  Without  solicita- 
236 


THE   LAST   YEAR 

tion  and  without  the  mention  of  the  amount 
of  any  gifts,  offerings  poured  in. 

From  fifty  newsboys  of  Park  Street  cor- 
ner, who  lined  up  every  Sunday  morning 
to  salute  the  governor  as  with  his  family 
he  passed  them  on  his  way  to  church, 
came  fifty  contributions.  Hotel  bell-boys, 
policemen,  classmates,  cab-drivers,  shop- 
girls, business  men,  mill-hands,  veterans, 
associations  of  all  kinds,  militia  regiments, 
men  and  women,  boys  and  girls  of  every 
station  in  life,  from  all  parts  of  the  State 
and  nation,  from  Cuba,  Porto  Rico,  the 
Philippines,  and  foreign  countries,  sent  in 
their  gifts. 

When  over  ten  thousand  persons  and  or- 
ganizations, representing  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  thousand  individuals,  had  given  of- 
ferings amounting  to  over  forty  thousand 
dollars  within  ninety  days,  the  committee 
asked  that  no  more  be  sent. 
237 


ROGER  WOLCOTT 

Thus,  by  the  grateful  and  spontaneous 
gift  of  many  thousands  of  men,  women,  and 
children,  a  statue  of  Roger  Wolcott  will 
speak,  to  all  who  pass,  of  one  who  in  pub- 
lic office  as  in  private  station  was  pure, 
chivalrous,  and  true. 


238 


Electrotyped  and  printed  by  H.  O.  Houghton  &•  Co. 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  U.S.  A. 


DC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  .FACILITY 


A     000  677  093     7 


